Only You
by MiaoShou
Summary: Near-canon LxLightxL YAOI, LEMONS, SHOTA.
1. Chapter 1

"So how are we supposed to sleep?"

The world's greatest detective turned to look at his companion.

"You just close your eyes, Raito-kun and it happens," he said.

"Very funny," Raito said sarcastically, but L noticed he was trying to suppress a laugh. So Raito had a sense of humor. That was interesting, and something he hadn't noticed before, though it was hardly surprising considering the combatative nature of their time together so far.

"You have one bed, I will have the other bed and the chain can stretch between us," L elaborated.

"That doesn't sound very comfortable," Raito murmured. His eyes had turned to the half open bathroom door. "What about that? Washing and – and so on?"

"We go in the bathroom and we wash, why are you having so much difficulty with these mundane activities?"

"Uh... nothing..." Raito replied. He turned his face away but not before L had noticed the start of a blush. Another interesting thing – was Raito shy? Surely he had nothing to hide? His body, in L's estimation could be nothing short of perfect and he must have showered in male company before at school – unless, maybe, he did have something to hide.

As Raito rummaged through his bag, bringing out pajamas and toiletries, L stood wide-eyed by the bed, lost in a fantasy he named the Mark of Kira. In medieval times it had been believed that a witch had a mark on her body that was put there by the devil. Unpleasant methods were used to discover this mark, usually involving long pins with which the witch would be pricked in the attempt to discover a place that caused no pain when the pin was inserted. Third nipples were also suspect and were thought to be what the witch used to suckle her familiar, the helpful spirit given to her by Satan.

"How many nipples do you have, Raito-kun?" L asked.

"What!" Raito turned suddenly, staring at L with a look of alarm on his face, his pajamas clutched protectively to his chest. "Ryuuzaki – what do you mean?"

"It's a simple question, Raito-kun," said the detective, now wishing that he hadn't asked it. If Raito did have some kind of mark signifying his Kira-ness, now he would realise that L was looking for it. But then again, he could hardly hide it, so perhaps it didn't matter. In fact, the probability of such a mark existing would be increased the more reluctant Raito was to show himself naked.

"I have two nipples," the boy answered, now blushing quite distinctly. "Why on earth – I mean, how many do you have?"

"Two."

"So why do you think I might have some different amount?"

"Just curious," said L, enjoying Raito's flustered expression. Was it merely embarrassment? Or was Kira afraid that he'd been found out?

"Any tattoos?" L went on.

"No!" said Raito, dropping the bottle of moisturiser he'd just got out of his bag. He bent down to pick it up, then stood up quickly as if he'd thought better of it. He looked at the detective, opened his mouth as if about to say something, then shut it again.

"Some problem, Raito?" asked L.

"Uh... no. No problem. Uh... you like tattoos?"

L stared back at the boy. Now what was going on? Perhaps Raito did have a sign on his skin symbolising evil and had now realised he'd made a mistake in saying that he didn't. Perhaps he was going to admit to some distinguishing mark and pretend that he'd said he didn't have one as he hadn't told his parents about it and didn't want them to find out. That was what L would do in these circumstances.

"I've seen some I find quite attractive," L said.

"What, on other people?" said Raito. "Or do you have some hidden away under there?" he waved an arm at L's baggy clothing ensemble, dropping another bottle in the process.

"On others," said L. "I don't have any myself."

"So, uh..." Raito's face was growing pinker by the second. "Are these – I mean, these tattoos you've seen – are they on people you've, uh, dated?"

"I don't date," said L, a little startled at the question. "I've seen them on the internet."

"No, I don't suppose you do," Raito frowned slightly, following his own train of thought. "You said I was your first friend. If you don't have friends, that seems to lead to the conclusion that you've never had a lover either. I can't imagine you as the kind of guy who takes people home just for sex," he paused. "Do you?"

L stared at the young man, feeling a little confused. How had the conversation got to here? He seemed to have lost control of it. But he supposed there was no harm in answering.

"No, I don't pick up people for random one-night stands," he said. "In fact, I've never – " he stopped there, realising what he'd been about to admit.

"You're a virgin?" Raito asked and for once, L damned the boy's intelligence, there'd been no way he couldn't work out what L had been about to say. Although he hadn't and couldn't deduce all of it. L decided that maybe the Mark of Kira idea could wait until morning, this conversation had to stop now.

"We should get some sleep, Raito-kun," he suggested. "There'll be plenty of time to talk later."

"Okay," said Raito, gathering his belongings back together. "I was just interested to find out we have something else in common."

He walked off into the bathroom, leaving the detective the choice of follow or be dragged. L, eyes even wider than usual, chose to follow, grabbing his own bag on the way past.

Raito was brushing his teeth, humming to himself as he did.

"What is it about water that makes people want to sing?" L wondered.

"Uhound," Raito replied.

"What was that?" L searched through his bag, afraid he might have a more immediate problem than Kira's possible tattoos.

Raito spat. "The sound," he said. "Makes you want to join in."

"You think?" L gave up on careful investigation and dumped the whole contents of his bag onto the floor.

"Lost something?" said Raito, stepping back as a pair of jeans landed on his feet.

"My toothbrush," said L, disgustedly. "All my washing things! I must've left them at the last place. Damn! I'll have to wake up Watari – "

"Don't do that!" said Raito. "There's no need to disturb him. You can use my stuff."

"Your – your – "

"Here, help yourself," said Raito, indicating the shelf above the washbasin. What looked like the contents of a fair sized pharmacy had now taken up residence there.

L poked through the unfamiliar containers, reading instructions and opening lids to sniff.

"I had no idea that becoming clean could be so complicated," he remarked.

"It's important to look after your skin," said Raito.

"Strawberries!" L stuck his nose in the latest pot of sticky gel.

"That's for washing your hair, don't put that on your face!" Raito snatched it away and reached for several other containers. "Here... you get washed with this... and then you put this on to make your face nice and soft – "

"Why does my face need to be soft?" said L, moving closer to Raito so he could share the basin.

"No good having a pretty face if you don't look after it," said Raito with a sidelong glance at his friend that looked like pure mischief.

L gazed back at him. For once in his life he was at a loss for words. And now he was the one blushing. Then he remembered what was bothering him about borrowing Raito's – cosmetics, there was no other word for them – and grabbed quickly at the subject change.

"I have no toothbrush," he said. "I _need_ a toothbrush, Raito-kun."

"I'm glad you realise that, all that sweet stuff you eat," said Raito. "You'll just have to use mine."

"Yours?" L found himself shocked at the sheer intimacy of the suggestion. It was as if Raito had suggested they share underwear or something.

"I rinsed it," said Raito, apparently oblivious to L's confusion. "You can wash it with some soap if you want to."

He passed the toothbrush to L, who stood, holding it.

"What, is that too gross for you?" Raito asked, head on one side, an eyebrow raised.

"Gross?" L shook his head. How could Raito's mouth be considered gross by anybody? "No. It's just unfamiliar. I don't normally indulge in this degree of sharing."

"You think I do?" Raito smiled. "I don't share my toothbrush with just anybody, you know." He moved to one side to give L more room at the sink and reached for his comb.

L squeezed toothpaste out and began to brush his teeth, hyperaware of Raito leaning over him to look in the mirror. Why was he combing his hair at bedtime anyway? There was no one to see how nice it looked – and it was just going to get disordered straight away.

They were practically touching, he could feel the warmth of Raito's body next to him. And he was using the boy's toothbrush, putting something in his mouth that had been in Raito's mouth, it was almost as if they'd kissed, which was really a thought he didn't want to pursue.

"Voogfls?" he muttered through a mouthful of, oh God, Raito flavored toothpaste.

"Floss? Of course I do," Raito passed it over, then moved away.

L finished with his teeth and turned to find the boy picking up the detective's dropped clothes, folding them and putting them back into his bag.

"I hope they didn't get damp on the floor," he said, handing the bag to L.

They went back into the bedroom where L unlocked the handcuffs momentarily to allow them to take off their shirts. He replaced them then quickly put on his pajama top before starting to take off his pants.

"What time do you want the alarm setting for?" Raito asked and L turned to see him adjusting it, still half naked. "Is half past seven okay?"

"That'll be fine," the detective said, unable to tear his eyes away from the boy's smooth muscular body. So he was still watching when Raito stood up again and pulled down his zipper, then slid his pants and underwear down over his slim hips, leaving himself naked. He reached for his pajamas apparently unaware of the bemused detective whose eyes followed his every movement as he redressed himself. L's own pants were suddenly becoming far too tight and he lost himself in a dream of reaching out... touching...

"Aren't you going to bed?" Raito's voice broke into L's lustful reverie.

"Uh, yes," L stuttered, jumping onto the nearest one and hurriedly changing his pants under the cover of his baggy jammie top. He went to pick up the pillows to arrange them the way he wanted them, then realised that he couldn't reach.

"You're on the wrong bed," Raito stood over him, looking down, a half smile on his face. "You have your right wrist cuffed, I've got my left – we need to be in opposite beds or we're going to have to sleep with our arms around ourselves."

L vacated his place and took the other bed, his mind now filled with images of Raito's arms around _him_. He wondered what the hell was happening to him. Maybe he needed to masturbate or something. Yes, that must be it. And how difficult was _that _ going to be since he was now chained, night and day, to the person who was giving him all these hot steamy thoughts.

He arranged the pillows around himself and lay down, determined to think about the case. About Kira. Who might be Yagami Raito. Who was lying in a bed a few feet away from the unfortunately horny detective. And who had, apparently, not one blemish, birthmark, evil tattoo or any other disfigurement on his gorgeous and extremely well-cared for body –

L groaned and attempted to turn over.

"Damn it, Ryuuzaki, you're pulling me out of bed!" Raito protested.

L sat up and looked across at the boy who was hanging over the edge of his bed, one arm suspended across the gap between.

"Maybe we should push the beds closer together," the detective suggested.

"Why don't I just get in that one with you?" was Raito's idea.

"What?" L said, clutching at his pillows. "You can't! There's no room!"

"That's only because you have all those pillows around you like a fortress."

"Yes, but – " L paused. But if he was going to discover Kira's weaknesses, he was probably going to have to reveal some of his own. "I need my pillows around me. I can't sleep without them."

"Okay," said Raito, getting out of bed, "You keep all your pillows except this one." he picked up the one nearest to him. "I'll replace this pillow with myself, we'll push the chain under the other ones and then we can both finally get some sleep."

L stared at him open-mouthed which Raito seemed to take for consent. He climbed into the bed next to the wide-eyed detective and snuggled down amongst the nest of pillows with a sigh.

"Goodnight, Ryuuzaki," he murmured sleepily.

"Goodnight, Raito," L replied, too surprised to remember the honorific. "But – Raito – "

"Hmm?"

"I need my pillows – "

"You've got most of them. Can't you just use me like another one?"

"But Raito – "

Raito leaned up on one elbow. "What's the matter, Ryuuzaki? Do I smell bad or something?"

"No!" L practically shouted. "But, Raito, I need – I need to _touch_ my pillows!"

The boy stared, wide-eyed and L waited for his reaction, expecting Raito to jump out of the bed and rush back to his own. Or maybe tell L what a pervert he was. Or, and this could be worst of all, laugh.

"Come here, then," Raito said, reaching out for his friend.

L found himself pulled close to Raito, cradled in his arms, cuddled against his chest. He thought he should protest but it felt so good – Raito was warmer than a pillow and the slow rise and fall of his breathing, the steady beating of his heart and the comforting strength of his encircling arms, all these things were too much to resist. He sighed and relaxed against his friend's body, his eyes already closing in sleep. He would have expected, if he'd dared to imagine being pressed against Raito's body this way, he'd be kept awake all night tormented by desire. But instead, his mind and body filled with a comfort and peace he'd never imagined, never experienced.

He could be Kira, L thought as he drifted into unconsciousness, but it really didn't seem relevant. This was enough for now. He'd deal with the rest tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: It occurred to me that Raito must have a life outside of the investigation and his Kira activities. I can't have him get out and about too much as he's handcuffed to L, but this seemed to make sense. Most of the people I've known, self included, who've been learning foreign languages have done something like this. And of course, L has to start __thinking__ about it :D_

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate all your wonderful comments :)_

_0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000_

"Tea!" a voice said loudly in L's ear.

"Hmm?" the detective looked up and found Raito staring at him quizzically.

"I told you three times, Ryuuzaki," said Raito. "Those files must be really interesting."

"Mmm. Yes."

"Especially since you haven't done anything with them for half an hour."

"Don't you have anything better to do apart from watch me?" L asked.

"Actually, yes," said Raito, sitting back down at his own computer.  
L returned to his thoughts. They weren't particularly happy ones. He was reliving the events of the previous night, wondering what had got into him. What had he been thinking? Sleeping with his number one suspect – a probable megalomaniac mass-murderer who seemed bent on ridding the world of everyone he had the slightest disapproval of. And apparently had the capability to do so.

"I suppose it's comforting," L murmured, " to know that if I want to be abused, I'm determined to be abused only by the best..."

He realised where he was and glanced around, but nobody was near enough to hear him. Raito had got up and was talking to his father. He'd left something on his screen that wasn't anything to do with work, L noticed. Looked like email – about to look away, the top line of the mail caught his eye.

Hey, L!

L leaned forward and started to read.

"Are you reading my mail?" Raito threw himself back into his seat and L looked up at him in alarm. Raito was so close that L could smell his strawberry hairwash.

"No," he said.

"Don't lie to me, Ryuuzaki!" Raito exclaimed. "You were so reading my mail! Don't you have _any _ idea of personal boundaries?"

"I thought – I saw that – " the detective indicated the top of the email.

"What? You thought I was reading _your_ mail?"

"It puzzled me, that's all," L said. "And I might point out, I would hope _not _ to get any mail as smutty as that!"

"Shhh!" said Raito. "My father might hear you."

"Why L?" said L. "That's my name, not yours."

He's English," said Raito. "And mostly he writes in English, as you can see. My name in English is Light. So he calls me L for short."

"It's not very good English," said L disparagingly. "I don't even understand half of it. What's – excuse me, your correspondent is a _man?"_

"Uh huh. His name's Jay."

"J?" said L. "Doesn't anyone have a proper name any more?"

"J-A-Y," Raito spelled out. "Short for Jason. I met him in a chat room."

"Cybersex?" the detective blurted out.

"Shhhh! God, Ryuuzaki, don't be so loud!" Raito looked round but nobody was taking any notice of them. "No, not cybersex, what a sleazy mind you have! We were talking about music. He likes J-rock. He wanted to learn Japanese and I wanted to improve my English. So we write."

"This is a male person, writing to you about his date with another man who's hung like a horse?" said L.

"Does he?" Raito stared at the screen interestedly. "I haven't read that part myself yet... "

"Why are you getting this kind of email?" L demanded.

"What kind?"

"The kind that has detailed descriptions of male anatomy in it."

"He's gay," Raito said. "I suppose he hasn't got any female anatomy to talk about. Oh, he has a boyfriend!"

"That seems reasonable," said L, reaching for the sugar and dropping a random handful of cubes into his tea. "Given that he's gay."

"I mean a permanent one." said Raito. "Normally they don't last very long. He might sound like an airhead – "

"He does," muttered L.

"But he's actually very intelligent," Raito gave his friend a withering look. "He's doing a master's degree at Oxford. Says it's hard to hook up with anyone he can have a decent conversation with."

"Doesn't sound to me as if conversation's what he's interested in."

"He says he'll send us – uh, I mean me – some photos. Of his boyfriend."

"The horse sized one?"

"Mmm... Ryuuzaki... "

"Yes?"

"Um, could you pick them up for me on your laptop, later? It's webmail..."

"Why can't you get them here?"

"What if someone walks past and sees a naked man on my screen?"

"Naked photos?" L added another fistful of sugar cubes to his tea, forgetting that he'd already done so. "He's sending you naked photos?"

"So he says."

"Whatever for?"

"I suppose he's proud of his cute boyfriend," said Raito, hitting the reply button. "Wants to show him off."

L stared at Raito. It was becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile his previous conception of evil, single-minded murderous Kira with the playful creature he appeared to be chained to now. No matter how he tried to place one picture on top of the other, they didn't seem to fit anywhere.

"You're different," he said, rather mournfully.

"Hmm?" Raito typed busily. "Different how?"

"I never imagined you capable of being so hedonistic."

Raito looked round at his friend. "You think I'm a madman who wants to murder everybody. You tied me up in a cell for weeks. You persuaded my father to pretend he wanted to kill me! Even now, you've got me in chains," he rattled them for emphasis, "And I'm going to be spending all my time apart from mealbreaks working on the Kira case. I think I should enjoy myself while I've got the chance, don't you? Who knows what you might take it into your head to do to me next."

"You make it sound as if I want to do these things," L protested.

"Maybe you do," Raito said, turning back to his keyboard. "Now where was I... looking forward to the photos... by the way, I'm living with a bondage master who likes to chain me to him at all times..."

"Raito!" L said, loud enough to cause several other members of the team to look round.

"Now look what you did, Ryuuzaki," said Raito, minimizing his webmail page and bringing up the files he'd been working on. "I can't finish my email."

"I don't think that's an email that should ever be finished," was L's opinion.

Nevertheless, the next time they had a break, L saw the webmail back on Raito's screen. He craned his neck in an attempt to see what was being written, but Raito, who apparently had eyes in the back of his head, shifted so he was between L and the screen.

Why was he being so secretive? L wondered. Was it simply that he was writing something obscene and didn't want L to see it? Or was it – what if Yagami Raito was not Kira any more? But perhaps the evil entity that was Kira had moved on, possessing someone else. Someone in England perhaps. L closed his eyes, envisaging Raito's correspondent as a poisonous cancer in the heart of academic excellence, while all around him, gowned dons dropped like flies from their ivory towers.

Then he remembered the email. Even L's overactive imagination couldn't picture Kira sitting down at his PC and regaling his penfriend with a graphic and glowing description of his lover's penis.

No, it had to be that Raito was writing something else he didn't want L to see. And the biggest chance was that he was elaborating on his bondage master story. Well, no harm done there, if he wanted to construct some bizarre fantasy for his friend's amusement –

"Don't mention any names," he murmured into Raito's ear.

"I'm making that up," said Raito.

"You're making _all _ of it up, Raito-kun," L said.

"Not the chain," said Raito. "That's real enough."

"What else are you saying about me?" L demanded.

Raito gave the detective a sly sidelong glance. "Only nice things, Ryuuzaki."

"That I put you in chains?" L said. "That doesn't sound very nice!"

"Nevertheless, it's what you've done," Raito sighed. "Anyway, Jay's going to like it, he enjoys hearing about hentai stuff."

L clutched at his head, rumpling his already disordered hair even further.

"I'm going back to work," he said. "I suggest you do the same. And just have him send the photos to _my_ email then there'll be no problem with it."

"If you say so," muttered Raito. "Master."

Some time later or rather, a long time later, L stretched himself back into shape, or as near shape as he ever was. He still had more to do but he was hungry and there seemed to be no cake around or anything else he considered worthy of the name of food. They'd had dinner several hours earlier and everyone else had left apart from Matsuda.

"Could you make coffee, Matsuda?" L asked. "I'd do it but – " He indicated Raito, who had his arms on his desk and his head on them and appeared to be asleep. As Matsuda gathered up cups and left the room, L wondered if he was working Raito too hard. He forgot that other people didn't have his tolerance for long hours and discomfort.

He stared at Raito thoughtfully. Wondered what had happened to make him so different. It was odd. He'd seemed to change so suddenly as if some bad influence had suddenly removed itself from him. Maybe that was the case. But why? How?

Whatever had happened, he mused gloomily, his case against Raito was going down the drain fast. And then he'd be left with nothing, back at square one with no suspect at all. And what about Misa? She was involved, they had the forensic evidence to prove it. But there seemed no way to get any further with that either.

He sighed. He'd asked Raito to get closer to Misa, to try and find out what she knew. But the boy had refused. Said it wouldn't be right. Which it wasn't, L had to admit. He knew that sometimes he was inclined to use unorthodox methods in his search for an answer. Methods that other people might not approve of. That they might see as morally wrong. It had occurred to him from time to time that perhaps he was so concerned with succeeding, with winning, that he didn't much care how he did it. But thinking that made him sound as if he wasn't a lot better than Kira himself and that wasn't true. Was it?

So – Raito and Misa. Raito had no interest in her, which was clearly apparent to everyone apart from Misa herself. L had previously put it down to Raito being asexual, a trait sometimes found in serial killers and further proof that he possessed the personality to be Kira.

But how did that theory hold up now that Raito had this English man emailing him porn or at the very least, tasteful photographic nudes?

That reminded him, he should check that email before Raito read it. Just in case there was any Kira connection. He turned back to his computer, still thinking about Raito, how he'd changed – maybe he had a multiple personality? One Kira, one Raito, living in the same body, and Raito unaware of what his killer self was doing – no, that didn't make sense either. The murders had stopped when Raito was confined but they'd started up again before he was released. So his body couldn't have been doing any of it, no matter who was inhabiting it at the time.

Mmm, Raito's body – that wasn't somewhere he wanted to go. And it looked like his friend had a reply to his email. L glanced at Raito, found him still asleep and opened it.

**Oh, Light! You bad boy! ** _The mail began. L's eyes widened. How camp! He read on..._

**I can't believe you're seeing such a fexy seme and you only just told me about it! And why can't you tell me anything about him? Does he work for the government? He's not married, is he, because I can tell you from experience that only leads to a whole WORLD of runny mascara! Well, I just realised there's no point me asking these questions since you're not going to TELL me anything!**

_At this point, L opened up a browser window and began to search for the words he didn't understand..._

**I have difficulty imagining you, of all people, as anybody's uke! He must be like Spiderman or something! Ohhhh, Peter Parker, my heart's desire, swing through my window and let me play with your spinaret!**

_L started to laugh and clapped his hands over his mouth with a guilty look at his friend. Raito stirred and smiled in his sleep._

"_Aijin," he murmured._

_L stopped laughing, wondering who Raito was dreaming about that he called 'Lover.' _

_He felt a sudden pang of – what? Jealousy? Stifled it and went back to the email._

**Nathan was entranced with your description of the banana! **

**You should be careful with the bondage though, I've met a few guys who got tied up and then things happened to them they weren't expecting at all! It's something you should only do with someone you trust!**

**Oh, he says he won't send you photos unless you send us some too! Of you, not the mysterious bf. Nathan saw that one you sent when you were in high school and he's desperate to see more! A lot more! I'm almost jealous, thank God you're in another country!**

**I can't wait for you to see him, he is SO emo, beautiful black hair, natural not dyed, and he's so sweet and affectionate. He says he loves me and I'm tempted to believe it! I know Japanese people don't say that kind of thing much but it means a lot to me!**

**Hugs from ****Jay :)**

L read it again but was forced to conclude there was nothing in there that suggested the remotest connection with Kira.

"Mmm..." Raito murmured, "Kisu shite kudasai... koibito..." He stirred and one arm fell from the table, his head hitting the keyboard and typing a string of random letters.

"Uhhh!" Raito sat up. "Was I asleep?"

"Asleep and enjoying it, Raito-kun," said L, rather sourly. "Who were you kissing?"

"Kissing?"

"You were asking someone to kiss you. In your dream."

"Now you want to know about my dreams? Is nothing private?" Raito yawned and stretched and L watched him. Not asexual then, not if he dreamed about kissing and lovers like any normal boy of his age might do.

"Matsuda's bringing coffee," L said, his mind busy with possibilities, facts, fitting things together.

"I love Matsuda," Raito remarked sleepily.

"Was that who you were dreaming about?" L asked.

Raito turned wide eyes on his friend then burst into laughter.

"No, Ryuuzaki, he's not my type," he said when he'd managed to control himself.

L nodded, considering that as the final fact that completed his theory. He should have thought of it before – Raito's disinterest in women, his obsessive concern with his appearance, even the way he moved and gestured and the small almost feminine sounds he made when he was annoyed with something – none of it was overt, but it was there and it all added up to –

"You're gay," L said.

"What?" said Raito, the amused look leaving his face suddenly.

"Gay. You." said L.

"Why would you think that?" Raito said, his eyes guarded.

"You laughed."

"About Matsuda? You were joking," said Raito. "Weren't you?"

"Yes, but I know you, Raito-kun. If it wasn't potentially true, you would have been offended with me."

"Why should I be offended about a joke, Ryuuzaki?" Raito countered. "I'm not that unreasonable – and besides, me and Matsuda? That would be a strange combination."

"And this fantasy you've dreamed up about you and I – and even written it to your friend. I don't think anyone that was completely heterosexual would even think of doing that."

"You're reading my mail again?" said Raito, glancing at L's screen. Now he looked annoyed.

"I need to make sure you're not corresponding with anyone about anything related to Kira," L explained.

"It's like being married," Raito said. "Someone else reading my mail before I get it."

"And what's this about a banana?" L asked.

Raito raised an eyebrow and gave L a challenging look. "I told him I like the way you eat a banana, Ryuuzaki. I said it made me think of – "

"I can imagine what it makes you think of!" said L, hastily. "I don't need to know any more about it!"

"Not my fault," said Raito. "You sit there eating fruit in such a sensual way, right in front of me, it'd make anybody think about fellatio. Not to mention that finger thing you do."

"That's exactly my point," said L. "I don't think it _would _ make just anyone think of that. And you don't like Misa."

"Why should I like her?" said Raito. "She's a – "

"Girl?"

"I was going to say nuisance. But that didn't seem very kind."

"Most men would be more than happy to have Misa throwing herself at them, Raito-kun," L said. "If they were straight, that is."

"Well I'm not."

"Not straight?"

"Not happy about it."

"I tell you I think you're gay and you haven't denied it once," said L, raising a finger to his lips then thinking better of it and lowering it again. "That seems like a convincing argument that you are."

"Think what you like," said Raito. "It's nothing to do with you anyway."

"Except when you get into bed with me," said L.

"What?" Raito raised his voice. "You don't think I have the decency to keep my hands to myself?"

"You didn't last night," L said.

"You _asked _ me to do that!"

They both fell silent at a sudden meeping sound behind them and turned to see Matsuda, holding a tray of cups and cake in his shaking hands.

"Thanks!" said L, snatching the cake, while Raito shot the young detective such a malevolent glance that he should have dropped dead on the spot had Raito been Kira.

"You're very welcome," Matsuda squeaked, putting the cups down hurriedly on the desk and scurrying away to the other side of the room.

"Look what you did now," muttered Raito, pulling out a tissue and mopping up spilled coffee. "Now he'll think I'm gay too."

"You are," L murmured back.

"Okay, whatever you say, I'll sleep in my own bed and we can both be uncomfortable!" Raito hissed. "Happy now?"

L didn't say anything, just shut down his computer and picked up the cake and coffee.

"I don't know why I'd want to sleep with you anyway," said Raito as they left the room. "Your bed's going to be full of crumbs! And what about my email?"

"You can read it in the bedroom," said L.

"Are there photos?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"You'll see," said L, wondering what Raito would make of the request for pictures of himself.

L handed over the laptop as soon as they were in the bedroom and Raito curled up on his own bed with it. L pushed his bed closer to Raito's then sat down and ate cake, watching his friend.

Raito started to laugh.

"He has a thing for Spiderman," he explained.

"I guessed," said L.

"Must be some kind of rape fantasy," Raito mused. "Someone that can always get in your window, no matter where you are..."

L didn't comment on that.

"Ryuuzaki, do you think it's important to an English guy to tell him you love him?" Raito asked.

L stared at him, then noticed he was tilting his plate so crumbs fell onto the bed. Never mind, it'd give him something to eat later if he woke up. "How would I know?" he replied.

"You're English."

"What would make you think that?" L asked.

"Your accent."

"Raito-kun, I know very well that I don't _have_ an accent."

"You might have thought you did," said Raito. "Anyway, you read my mail, Ryuuzaki. My English mail. I was watching you, you didn't have to stop for a moment to work out what language it was in. If you had, you'd've had time to realise it wasn't yours."

"That's a tenuous argument," said L.

"I think you're English," said Raito with a tone of finality. "So what about this love thing?"

"How can I answer that?" said L. "Everybody's different."

"But in general – it's something you would do, yes? If you were in love with an English guy, you'd tell him so?"

"I suppose so," said L. "It's not something I know much about, Raito-kun. You should ask Misa."

"God, no!" Raito exclaimed. "I feel bad enough already about leading her on to think I might like her. I'm not going to start talking to her about love!"

"Well there's no point talking to me about it," said L, putting down his plate. "I've never been in love with anybody. I don't know what I'd like about it or what I'd want someone to do."

"You can't tell me you've never thought of it," said Raito, disbelievingly. "Everyone thinks about stuff like that sometimes! Don't you ever fantasize about – "

"Maybe," L interrupted. "I may have done. When I was younger."

"How old are you now?" Raito had a surprised expression on his face.

"Twenty-four," said L.

"Oh," said Raito. "I didn't think you were as old as that!"

"That's not old!" L protested.

"No, I didn't mean – I mean, I just didn't think – you were at the University, remember, I thought you were the same age as me. I suppose I've just kept on thinking of you that way. Of course, you must be older, all the things you've done."

"I'm quite immature," L confessed.

"No shit," Raito said. "Hey, Ryuuzaki, maybe you're Kira! You think he's immature, don't you?"

"He has a childlike view of life," said L. "He thinks if you take away all the bad people, only the good people will remain. But people are just people. It's their actions that define them as bad or good. And sometimes a person might be in a situation where they feel compelled to do something that they know is wrong."

"You're saying it's not just black and white?" said Raito.

"Of course it isn't, Raito-kun," said L. "During the course of this investigation I've done things that many people would consider wrong. But my motives aren't bad."

"Just your methods?" said Raito. "Much like Kira? Just think, Ryuuzaki, if you were Kira, you'd be investigating _yourself!_ And you'd never _catch_ yourself! It'd be the perfect cover."

"Well, I'm not." said L.

"Anyway, I think Kira is an evil person," said Raito. "He didn't find himself in circumstances where he had to do something he thought he shouldn't. He's gone out of his way to seek out people to kill."

"You might be right," said L. "If you've finished with your mail, I need to go in the bathroom."

"Yes, I've finished," said Raito, glancing once more at the laptop and shaking his head thoughtfully before shutting it down. "Hmm..."

"Something wrong, Raito-kun?" L asked, slightly maliciously.

"No – nothing," said Raito as they made their way toward the bathroom. "Uh, Ryuuzaki – "

"Yes, Raito-kun?"

"Are you any good at photography?"

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

_A/N: The next chapter follows on almost straight after this, but I thought I'd end it here as it's very long already – also it means I can update it sooner :D The next one should hopefully be ready in a few days._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Quite a long chapter but there didn't seem a good place to divide it into two. _

_Some of this is not as humorous as the previous parts. There's angst, violence and shota – not detailed – graphic shota isn't my thing. And I have no idea why, but these guys seem to spend their life in the bathroom..._

_SPOILER WARNING – L's real name._

_DISCLAIMER – the characters and Death Note are not mine, I'm just using them for my own perverse gratification :D_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

"No!" said L.

"Why not?" Raito stood in the bathroom, hands on hips, an irritated look on his face. "They're only photos!"

"I have too much else to do," said L, unwrapping his new toothbrush.

"You get to see me naked, Ryuuzaki," Raito murmured.

"Why would I want to do that?" L asked.

"You seemed to like it last night."

L looked round and saw Raito smiling at him. Seductively. He turned back to the sink and started the lengthy process of tooth cleansing necessary to a sugar addict.

"Ryuuzaki, are you ignoring me?" Raito came nearer.

"Uhm," L replied, then nearly choked on toothpaste as Raito bent to put his head under L's and looked up into his face.

"Urgh!" L backed away, dribbling toothpaste and saliva down himself.

"That's disgusting!" Raito took a step backward. "You could just spit it in the basin!"

"Then I would have had to spit it on you," L said, grabbing for a towel. "Is that what you want?"

"First bondage, now spit," Raito mused. "What other perversions are you going to offer me?"

"Photographing you isn't one of them, Raito-kun," L said firmly.

"But, Ryuuzaki – "

"No."

"It'd make me happy!" Raito said, a pleading look on his face.

"Now you sound like Misa," said L.

"I do _not!_" Raito snapped, suddenly looking extremely annoyed.

"I'm really not in the mood for this," the detective said. "And I can see you naked right now if I want to."

"You can?" Raito's bad-tempered expression was replaced by one of interest. "You want to undress me?"

"Raito-kun, I think you're old enough to undress yourself!" L said. "Please do so. We're going to have a shower."

"I wondered when we'd get around to that," Raito said, already unbuttoning his shirt.

L sighed and restarted the tooth ritual.

"I need this handcuff off," Raito said, presently.

L finished brushing, put down his toothbrush and got out the key. He bent to unfasten the cuff from Raito's wrist so he could finish removing his shirt sleeve. His other clothes already lay around the bathroom floor and L had to concentrate on keeping his eyes on what he was doing, not letting them stray to the expanse of perfect flesh enticingly placed before him.

"What about you?" Raito asked. "You're not going to get in the shower with your clothes on, are you?"

"No." said L.

"Why are you in such a bad mood with me, Ryuuzaki?" Raito asked. "All I said was, you like to look at me. And why wouldn't you?"

"Your appearance is very attractive, Raito-kun," L admitted as he pulled off his own shirt. "Your narcissism, unfortunately, isn't."

"Is that what you think, Ryuuzaki? That I'm narcissistic?"

"It's obvious that you're in love with yourself," said the detective, "And you expect everyone else to feel the same way."

"You're wrong," said Raito, but he didn't elaborate, just turned around and went into the shower. He turned on the water and began to wash, his back to the detective.

L finished undressing and followed Raito into the shower, wondering if he'd annoyed the boy so much he'd refuse the request the detective had in mind.

"Raito-kun – " he began.

"What!"

"Please may I borrow your shampoo?"

Raito turned and stared at L, shaking his head disbelievingly.

"Don't you have any of your own?"

"Mine doesn't smell of strawberries," L said.

"If you smell like me, Ryuuzaki," Raito said, reaching for the pot that stood on a shelf behind him, "People will think we're lovers."

"I've never cared much for what people think," said L.

"That's no surprise," said Raito. "Come here."

"What – " L began, then Raito grabbed his arms and pulled him into the middle of the shower. Before the detective could protest, Raito sank his fingers into the thick mat of L's wet hair and began washing it.

"You know I can do that myself," L said.

"Yes, and I've seen the results," Raito replied. "You obviously aren't doing it right."

L sighed and let Raito get on with it. Had this ever happened before? He couldn't remember anyone ever doing this for him and he had to admit it was enjoyable. He closed his eyes and gave himself up to the experience.

"It smells good," he murmured.

"Don't comb it until it's dry," Raito advised as he finished. "Your ends are all split."

"Is that bad?"

"Yes."

"Can I fix them?"

"It wants trimming, that's all."

"You know a lot about this kind of thing, Raito-kun."

"Of course I do," said Raito, moving away from the detective. "I'm narcissistic."

"Are you sulking at me?" L asked.

"I'm not sulking," Raito picked up the shower gel. "I'm surprised that you've spent so long studying me, Ryuuzaki, and you understand me so little."

"What do I not under – oh!" L gasped as Raito's hand, slick with gel, slid up his back.

"Keep still. And don't tell me you can wash your own back. Nobody can do that."

"No..." L agreed quietly, wondering why his knees suddenly felt so weak. Raito's hands slid over his back, stroking, massaging, then came to rest on his shoulders, kneading the tense muscles, stiff from sitting at his desk for so long.

"I like the way I look," Raito murmured into his friend's ear. "But I'm not in love with it. And I hate that I'm constantly followed around by shallow people who want to be with me, talk to me, sleep with me if I wanted them to, just because of the way I look, or the fact that I'm the best student or whatever."

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?" L asked.

"No." said Raito. He reached around L and handed him the bottle of gel. "My turn."

L squeezed the thick green gel into his hand and regarded Raito's back, his head on one side. Where to start?

"Top or bottom?" he asked himself.

"Which would you prefer, Ryuuzaki?" Raito smiled over his shoulder.

"I'm wondering where to start washing your back, Raito-kun," L said, reprovingly. "Not anything else."

"I like to leave the best until last," Raito suggested.

L nodded and began soaping his friend's shoulders, as Raito gave a gentle laugh.

Raito's skin felt as perfect as it looked, a smooth silky covering for the firm compact muscles beneath. L looked down at his own aroused body and breathed a sigh of relief that Raito had his back turned. It wouldn't do to let the boy know what an effect he was having. L sought for a subject, something to talk about, to take his mind off what his hands were doing. Remembered what Raito had said while he was washing the detective's back.

"Are you lonely, Raito-kun?" he asked.

"I don't know, Ryuuzaki. I've never really thought about it."

"It seems to be something that you hardly notice until it goes away."

"Loneliness?"

"Yes." L ran his hands slowly down Raito's back his whole body tingling as he touched the boy's gorgeous body. Everything about him was good. Apart from, of course, the possibility that he was an evil killer. He paused, his hands on Raito's waist.

"Are you considering how far you should go, Ryuuzaki?" Raito peered over his shoulder at his friend.

"I think I've gone far enough," said L. "For now."

Raito turned around.

"I don't feel lonely now," he said. "With you."

"Me?" said L, drawing himself up to his full height.

Raito's eyes widened slightly as L's looked directly into his.

"I didn't realise you were as tall as me," he said.

"Life is full of surprises, Raito-kun."

"You're the only person I know – " Raito began, his face flushing slightly. "What I mean is – I don't know anyone else like you."

"In what way?" the detective asked, staring into his friend's eyes, wondering what he was trying to say. Wondering if it was true.

"When I'm with you, I feel – I don't know, Ryuuzaki. I just want to be with you, that's all."

"Then I suppose we'd better hope you're not Kira," the detective stepped out of the shower and picked up his towel, wrapping it around his head and rubbing vigorously. "Otherwise, one of us will have to kill the other, and be miserable."

"You don't have to worry about that," said Raito. "Because I'm not Kira. Give me your towel."

"Why?" said L, but Raito just took the towel from him and began to dry the detective's hair.

"You scrub at it like that, you'll just make things worse," he said. "You need to be gentle with it. Care for it. Treat it like your pet."

"My pet?"

"Mmm. Cute little strawberry-flavored neko," Raito murmured, handing back the towel.

"I'm not your neko!" L protested.

"I don't want you to be, Ryuuzaki," said Raito. "But it's what people might think. Matsuda for instance – he might think that."

"Why should he think that, Raito-kun?" said L. "I'm older than you, and I have you chained to me. Doesn't that make me look like the dominant person in our – uh, between us?"

"I suppose it does," said Raito. "If you happen to know those things. To any outsider it'd probably look like the complete opposite."

"I don't see why at all," said L.

"Because you're the pretty one," said Raito, reaching for his own towel.

"I thought we just had a discussion about how you thought _you_ were the pretty one, Raito-kun!"

"No," said Raito. "We just had a discussion about how _you_ thought I thought I was the pretty one. But that's not what I think at all."

"You're much better looking than I am!" L said.

"No." said Raito.

"Well, yes!" L said.

Raito stared at his friend, his eyes slitted. "Don't argue with me about this, Ryuuzaki. I think I know what's attractive and what isn't."

"And I don't?"

"Obviously not."

"Just because I don't agree with you, Raito?" L finished drying himself and started to put on his pyjamas.

"Exactly," said Raito. "You have a poor self-image. I don't. Therefore I'm more able to be objective about our relative appearance to whoever else might be looking."

L put his head on one side and stared at Raito, searching for a cutting retort, but before he could find it he was distracted by a quiet knock on the door.

"Damn, who's that?" said Raito, wrapping his towel around himself as he walked over to the door, L dragged along behind him by the chain that connected them.

"Yagami-kun!" said Matsuda cheerfully as Raito opened the door.

"Has something happened, Matsuda-san?" L asked over Raito's shoulder.

"No, Ryuuzaki," Matsuda said, smiling widely. "Just a social call – I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he added, taking in their half-dressed state.

"We were in the shower," said L. "And isn't it a little late for visiting?"

"I won't stay long, Ryuuzaki," Matsuda assured him. "I don't want to keep you from – from whatever you might not want to be kept from."

"If only," Raito muttered and L gave him a sharp glance.

"So what prompted this sudden display of gregariousness, Matsuda-san?" L said, sweetly.

Raito sniggered and L knew he'd picked up on the sarcasm that would pass right over Matsuda's head. That was one of the best things about Raito. He always knew what L meant, even when he was saying something quite different.

"Um..." Matsuda seemed to be having trouble saying exactly what he did want. He looked past them into the suite, but neither of them took the hint and invited him in.

"I just wanted to tell you both," Matsuda suddenly blurted out, "If you need anything – I mean, you're going to be in here all the time and probably not get out much. To go shopping."

"Shopping?" said Raito, a puzzled look on his face. "We have everything we need right here."

"I know you must feel like that," said Matsuda, his expression now turning positively sappy. "But there might be things that you find you want – "

"If we want anything, Watari can bring it." L interrupted.

"But Ryuuzaki," Matsuda leaned forward conspiratorially, "There might be things you need that you don't want to ask Watari to get for you."

"Like what?" Raito asked.

"Well, um, you know – safe sex is important – "

"You're offering to buy _condoms_ for us?" Raito asked in an alarmed tone of voice.

"Or anything else you might require, Yagami-kun," said Matsuda with a smile. "Lube or sex toys or – "

"Thank you, Matsuda-san," L broke in before the list could get any longer. "We don't need anything like that at the moment."

"We don't need anything like that at _all!_" Raito said.

"You don't use condoms?" Matsuda looked appalled.

"We don't need to," said L, suddenly giving in to wicked temptation. "We have an exclusive relationship."

He shut the door firmly in the young detective's face, cutting off something that sounded like "so nice to go bareback – "

Raito turned to L, his face a mix of shock, anger and confusion. "What did you tell him that for?"

"Are you the only one who can lie about our relationship, Raito-kun?" L asked.

"Ryuuzaki, it's one thing to write a harmless fantasy to someone who lives thousands of miles away – and quite another to say we're having a, a homosexual relationship to someone who works with my _father!"_

"Matsuda won't say anything to your father," said L, turning away from the boy and going back to his bed.

"Urgh!" said Raito as it was his turn to be dragged by the chain. "Why not? Why won't he!"

"Let's just say, we should think ourselves fortunate he didn't ask to join us for a threesome," L said, getting into bed.

"What?" said Raito, staring openmouthed. "What? Matsuda? You have to be joking!"

"Obviously your gaydar is malfunctioning, Raito-kun," said L with a small smile as he arranged his pillows around himself. "Although I think there's a very high probability that Matsuda-san is actually bisexual."

"Yes, but, Matsuda..." the boy protested.

"Ninety-two per cent chance and climbing," the detective replied.

"Oh, well," said Raito, uncertainly. "Uh – do you want me to sleep with you?"

"No."

"Huh. And no photos either?"

"No."

"Honestly!" said Raito, climbing into his own bed with what could only be described as a pout on his face. "You're not much fun as a lover!"

L ignored that and did his best to make himself comfortable in bed with a chain dragging his arm in a direction he didn't want it to go.

His mind, as usual, turned to Raito. Kira, he told himself. He was thinking about Kira, thinking about the case he was working on. Which was a perfectly valid use of the time before he fell asleep.

What was this game Raito was playing? Did he really think he could seduce L? Was he Kira, trying to find a way to get inside L's defenses? Was he just teasing because he was bored? Whatever the reason, it was uncomfortable.

Of course, given Raito's reaction when he'd been asked to deepen his relationship with Misa, there was an easy way to stop his flirting now. Just tell him that it was distressing L and he would stop. And if Raito was Kira, then Kira would have an excellent weapon to use against L, would know one of his most vulnerable points. So that was something L wasn't going to do.

It looked as if he was just going to have to put up with the teasing and flirting. He sighed and shifted in the bed. The pillows weren't as comfortable as Raito. Or as warm. Or as sexy...

"Damn!" he muttered, rolling over and clutching at one of the unsatisfactory pillows.

"Aargh!" he heard from the other bed, before his wrist was jerked violently and he flew from the bed, landing on the floor next to Raito.

"What the hell!" he said, staring at his friend angrily.

"You pulled me out of bed!" Raito declared.

"You pulled _me_ out of bed, Raito!" the detective replied.

"You started it!" Raito shouted.

L hissed between his teeth and climbed back into bed. He turned his back on Raito, his arm lying uncomfortably behind him. How was he supposed to sleep like this? He got up again, pushed his bed nearer to Raito's and got back in. Perhaps that would help. It really had been better when they'd been sleeping together. But Yagami Raito, almost one hundred per cent certainly gay Yagami Raito was never going to sleep in L's bed again if the detective could prevent it. It was one thing to desire somebody who seemed completely unattainable, quite another to want someone who might be his just for the asking.

Although, what was he thinking? Perfect, beautiful Yagami Raito would never be interested in weird, eccentric odd-looking Ryuuzaki... even if he felt like giving his friend a pity fuck... he said he thought Ryuuzaki was pretty. Was he being kind? Or being manipulative? Oh god, if only he'd meant it... imagine what that would be like.

No, don't imagine that, don't ever think of that. If only there was no possibility at all that he might be Kira... but L wanted him to be Kira – didn't he? If Raito wasn't Kira, then he was wrong and he didn't want to be wrong. He didn't want Raito to die either. For once in his life, L didn't know what he wanted... Raito... Kira... Kira... Raito... he loves me... he loves me not...

He seemed to see Raito standing at the end of a long corridor. It was dark but the young man could still be seen in the dull red glow that surrounded him. L walked toward him. If he could just reach Raito, all his questions would be answered.

After some time, he realised that he'd walked a long way and Raito was still at the same distance from him. Standing. Watching. It was hard to tell from this distance but he seemed to have a smile on his face.

L turned his back on Raito. That smile made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to go toward it. But he must, if he was going to solve –

An arm slid around his neck.

"Looking for me?" a soft voice whispered in his ear.

L struggled, trying to pull away, but the grip around his neck tightened and he started to choke. This was all too familiar and he felt panic start to chew at the edges of his mind. He forced himself to stop moving, to stand still in the embrace of – who? Yagami Raito. It had to be. A man who smelled of strawberries, how many of those did he know?

"Talk to me," the voice murmured and he was released.

L turned to find Yagami Raito leaning against the wall of the corridor, relaxed and smiling.

"Kira!" L accused.

"So you say," Raito remarked in a bored tone of voice.

"I know!" said L. "I know you! Look at you! You don't even look human!"

And as he spoke, Raito began to change, the red glow that surrounded him intensifying, shading his hair crimson, turning his eyes into two pools of blood-colored malice.

"You don't have to fear me, Lawliet," Raito murmured.

L gasped, hearing his name, his true name, in the mouth of the monster.

"Everyone else should fear me," said Raito who was Kira. He stepped away from the wall. "They mean nothing to me. Not a thing. But you – " he stopped, so close to L that he could feel Kira's breath on his face, smell him, that smell that meant Raito, meant so many contradictory things that even he couldn't understand them all.

"I think I'll keep you," Kira whispered softly, his carmine eyes fixed on L's. "You interest me. And you're pretty. When I finish my work – when all the world is empty, wasted, nothing left but the rotting, crawling corpse of humanity, there will just be you and I, Lawliet. Forever."

He bent closer and L closed his eyes, unable to bear the red gaze of the murderer.

"Only you," Kira murmured against L's lips, then kissed him, a kiss that was cold and tasted of the grave.

"No!" L spun around and ran. He didn't know where he was running to but he was well aware what he was running from. The featureless corridor stretched out before him, it's cold walls echoing the rapid sound of his feet, high walls that seemed taller than before, climbing up to invisibility.

Winded, gasping, he tripped at last and fell. Looked up. There was a door. He dragged himself toward it, reached up and turned the handle, pulling himself to his feet.

Lawliet pushed the door closed behind him, stumbling across the room to his bed. He pulled back the covers and dived beneath them, trembling, shivering, huddling his arms around his knees for comfort. He was safe here. He had to be safe here. Where else was there to go?

His heart was pounding so loudly he didn't hear it at first. Didn't want to hear it.

"No, no, no, no, no – " he whispered, unaware that he was saying anything, as the footsteps came closer.

The door opened and he was there. Lawliet could sense him, didn't need to see him. He curled into a tighter huddle, burrowing into the bed, knowing it was useless.

The covers were pulled back from the boy in the bed.

"Hiding, Lawliet?" The voice was low, quiet and amused. "You can't hide from me, you know."

"I don't want to..." Lawliet said, his voice tiny in the darkness.

"Of course you do," was the reply. "You like it. You want it. You think I don't know what you want, pretty little Lawliet?"

Lawliet shook his head in denial but his mute protest was ignored as he knew any spoken ones would be. He heard the familiar sounds, the click of a metal belt buckle, the purr of a zipper, the soft slide of clothing.

"I won't hurt you," the voice lied.

He moaned once as he was pressed into the mattress, then the arm was around his neck, silencing him, choking him before he could cry out from the pain.

From somewhere he found the strength to fight. He strained against the tight grip of the arms that surrounded him, loosened them and hit out violently at the aggressor.

There was a cry as his attacker fell backwards, then L was following him, dragged by the chain around his wrist.

"What the fuck!" he heard before he landed. Not on the floor. On something more yielding –

"Ow! Ryuuzaki!" Raito looked up from his sprawled position beneath the detective, an indignant expression on his face. "What are you doing?"

"What are _you_ doing?" L demanded. "What _did_ you do!"

"Nothing," Raito said, disentangling himself. "You were having a nightmare. I came over to – to comfort you. It doesn't seem to have worked very well."

L didn't speak, just climbed back into bed, still shaking. He turned in alarm as he felt the bed sag under someone's weight, then Raito was beside him, pulling the disordered covers up around them.

"I don't need you!" L snapped at him.

"No, of course you don't, you don't need anybody," Raito said. "Lie still, will you, you're kicking them all off again."

L stared at the boy as Raito arranged the covers until the detective was wrapped to his satisfaction. Then he slid his arm around L's shoulders.

"Don't," L flinched, hating himself for it.

"I'm sorry," Raito said. His eyes were concerned, his voice likewise, but – L's dream still had him gridlocked and he couldn't escape the thought that Raito would blink and reopen eyes that flashed red hellfire.

"You don't have to be afraid, Ryuuzaki," Raito murmured. "I won't hurt you."

"Don't say that!" L gasped, shuffling up the bed away from his friend.

"What – " Raito's puzzled look changed to awareness. "You don't want me to say that."

"No."

"Is there anything else you don't want me to say?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. Just don't say anything."

"As you wish," Raito tugged on the covers, untucking them from the bottom of the bed so he could pull them up around their half-seated bodies, then gently laid his head on L's shoulder.

L closed his eyes, gradually becoming calmer. There was something reassuring about the pressure of Raito's head on his shoulder, the closeness and warmth of his body. L sighed and let himself relax, his own head drooping to rest on his friend's.

Raito shifted a little, turning toward L, his hand dropping onto his friend's thigh as if by accident. As if he ever did anything accidentally, L thought. Raito liked to be in control of everything he did and if he could, everything everybody else did too. L had sympathy with that way of thinking, but he wasn't about to give up his own control to his suspect.

He gently put his hand over Raito's and clasped it, holding it so it was no longer touching such a sensitive spot.

Raito murmured a chuckle. L smiled. The boy knew exactly what he was doing. What both of them were doing. What would he do next? Give up? Or escalate?

Raito lifted his head, causing L to do the same.

"What's the matter, Raito-kun?" the detective asked.

Raito said nothing, only stared up into his friend's eyes and squeezed his hand. L became aware that his body was responding to Raito's nearness and he damned his suddenly wanton dick, how could he be getting an erection just from being _looked_ at?

"Can I stay with you, Ryuuzaki?" Raito murmured, his eyes still fixed intently on L's.

"Stay?" L temporized. "In my bed with me?"

"Mmm," Raito practically purred.

L felt his face flushing. That was bad enough, but if Raito glanced down – well, maybe the bedcovers were thick enough to hide it.

"If you want to, Raito-kun," the detective said, before realising that wasn't what he'd meant to say at all.

"My sweet Ryuuzaki," Raito said, shockingly, before disengaging his hand from L's and sliding both arms up around the detective's neck.

"Uh, Raito!" L protested.

"What, you don't like me?" Raito put his head on one side. "Can you really look into my face and tell me such a big lie as that, Ryuuzaki? I saw the state you got into in the shower."

"I wasn't in any state – " L began.

"Yes you were," Raito disagreed. "You were in exactly the same state I was."

L found himself speechless. And, ridiculously, what was uppermost in his mind was that he'd been so concerned over his own arousal in the shower that he hadn't thought to check out what was happening with Raito. What had he missed?

"So since you want to...," Raito went on, "And I want to... why don't we – "

"You might be Kira!" L clutched at a straw.

"Not him again!" said Raito, disgustedly. "Honestly, Ryuuzaki, it's like having someone else in bed with us!"

"That could be the case," L said, glad to get off the subject of what they might do next. Although he noted it was surprisingly difficult to form coherent thoughts while Raito was hanging around his neck like this. "If Kira is – "

"Fuck Kira!" Raito snapped.

"But Raito-kun," L said, "That's exactly what I'm worried I might be tempted to do."

Raito laughed.

"What, you have a thing for bad boys?" he said. "I don't think so, Ryuuzaki. I don't think you'd even be attracted to me if you thought I was Kira."

L's eyes widened as he considered this. It was a good point. Would he really feel this – whatever he was feeling for Raito – if he truly believed the boy to be Kira? Surely not. That was beyond perverse. Especially after the dream he'd had, any suspicion that he was sharing a bed with that dark murderous creature would definitely not leave him like this – flushed, aroused, slightly breathless and simply unable to move away from Raito even though he knew he should.

Lost in thought, he didn't realise that Raito was moving until it was too late. The boy sat up quickly and moved so he was kneeling over the detective, his legs either side of L's thighs.

"What – " L began, then Raito snuggled closer to him, sitting on him. L could feel the boy's hard cock through his pyjamas, pressed against his own, and he let out a low moan.

"Uuuuh," Raito agreed, leaning forward and pushing his warm face into L's neck, his hands twining into the detective's hair.

"No," L murmured, but his body had other ideas and he found his arms going around Raito, pulling him close, feeling the heat of his body through their clothes.

"I want you, Ryuuzaki," Raito breathed into L's ear. "I want you naked, in my arms. I want you to make love to me. Kiss me. Touch me. Fuck me."

L growled, deep in his throat, clasped Raito closer to him until the boy gasped. Beautiful Raito, here in his arms, offering himself – and L, torn between lust and doubt and another feeling he couldn't even put a name to.

He suddenly pushed Raito away and before the boy could voice the question in his eyes, L grabbed the chain that joined them, lifted it, wound it around Raito's body.

"What – " Raito looked down at his bound arms, alarmed.

L pushed him to the side, grabbed his shoulders and pressed him back onto the bed.

"Ryuuzaki – " Raito said.

"Shut up!" L hissed at him, flinging himself on top of the boy, pulling aside the neck of his shirt and clasping his lips around the soft flesh of his friend's throat, kissing, sucking, biting.

"Ow! Ryuuzaki! What the hell? You're hurting me!"

L ignored Raito's protests, reaching down to grasp the waistband of the boy's pyjama pants, pushing them down. He thrust a knee between Raito's thighs, spreading him, then grasped the front of the boy's shirt, ripping it open.

"Uuuh!" Raito exclaimed. "What are you _doing!"_

L ignored him, bending to sink his teeth into the firm swell of Raito's pectoral, tasting his sweat, clenching his teeth, tasting blood.

The boy shrieked, and L grabbed his throat in one hand, pressing his fingers into the smooth, firm flesh, silencing him.

"Don't pretend you don't want it," the detective muttered, angrily. "This is what you asked for, isn't it? You want to get fucked – that's exactly what I'm going to do for you – "

Raito gasped, choking and L raised his head, staring down at the boy in triumph. Raito looked up at him, his eyes filled with fear and amazement. He looked familiar, L realised. Looked like... looked... where had he seen that look before? Nowhere... apart from in a mirror...

"Oh God!" L burst out. "Oh, God, no, I'm him! I'm _him!"_

He rolled off the boy, pulling the chain with him, tugging it from around his friend's prostrate body, ignoring Raito's further protests as the metal links dug into him.

L spun around, turning his back on Raito, clapping his hands over his face. What was he doing? What had he done? He'd never be able to look Raito in the face again – anything they might have had – his thoughts were brought to abrupt cessation as the chain clinked and then was whipped around his own body, holding him tight, rendering him helpless.

He tried to turn, unbalanced and fell. Against Raito, who put out his arms and caught the bound detective, holding him, his grip not too gentle.

"I knew it!" Raito said. "I said you were him!"

"Raito," L lifted his face to his friend's, his eyes pleading. "I'm sorry! I didn't – I didn't mean to behave like him!"

"No, I don't suppose you _did!"_ Raito said, angrily. "You fooled us all for long enough, didn't you! Pretending to be looking for yourself – "

"Raito!" L interrupted, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Don't play innocent with me now, Ryuuzaki!" Raito said. "I'm talking about you being _Kira,_ of course!"

"Huh?" said L, staring at his friend in disbelief. "What – I mean – what – "

"Oh, shut up!" said Raito. "You just confessed it to me, don't try and take it back!"

He yanked on the chain for emphasis, pulling the detective further into his grasp so they were pressed together, practically nose to nose.

L shuffled frantically in his chains, uncomfortable at the proximity to Raito's warm body. It was having an effect on him he didn't care to think about, what was so erotic about being bound by him, bound to him? And at a time like this, accused of being a mass-murderer, had he lost _all_ control of himself? He'd never in his life felt so confused, it was quite horrible.

"I don't like this!" he said. "Let me go!"

"I don't know about that, Ryuuzaki," said Raito, glancing down at L's crotch with a sneer, "You seem to like it a little too much!"

"I don't!" L protested. "Anyway, you shouldn't be doing this to me! I thought I was supposed to be the seme in this relationship!"

"Now we suddenly have a relationship?" Raito raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't want one, Ryuuzaki. Didn't even want me to sleep in the same bed with you until I got you into a state where you couldn't say no!"

"Is that what this is all about?" the detective demanded.

"No. It's about you possibly being Kira. If I said I was Kira, this is exactly what you'd do!"

"I didn't say that!" L protested. "I was talking about – about somebody else!"

"Can't you do better, Ryuuzaki, your lies are usually more believable than that!"

L strained against the metal links that surrounded him but only managed to pull himself even nearer to Raito. He struggled to stay calm, to think, what should he do?

"I was talking about somebody else, Raito-kun," he repeated. "Someone – I reminded myself of someone. Someone whom I didn't want to remind myself of."

"Hm?" said Raito in a slightly bored tone of voice.

"It's the truth!" L put his face close to Raito's, stared into his eyes. "Look at me, Raito-kun, I'm not lying to you!"

"I seem to remember when I was in a cell, Ryuuzaki, and I said exactly the same thing to you, you took no notice of me at all," said Raito.

"Is this revenge?" L asked.

"No," said Raito with a not very pleasant smile. "That's just a beneficial side-effect."

"Bastard!" L could feel himself losing it, and fought for self control. "Please – Raito-kun – you know that I only did what I did because I thought I was right."

"Then you should have no objection to me doing the same, Ryuuzaki," Raito replied.

"Raito – I don't want to tell you," L murmured.

"Tell me what?"

"Why I said what I did."

"I know why you said what you did. Because you're Kira. And you're pretending you're trying to catch Kira. Although why you'd have the dumbass arrogance to chain yourself to the one person who has the intelligence to unwind your sick scheme – "

"I'm _not Kira!"_ L yelled.

"Really," said Raito. "So how do you explain you saying you _were?"_

"I didn't," said L. "I was – the man I reminded myself of – holding you down that way, hurting you – it's what happened to me."

"I don't understand," Raito stared into L's face, his eyes puzzled.

"I don't want to tell you, Raito."

"Tell me," Raito insisted.

L sighed and closed his eyes.

"Look at me!" Raito commanded. "If you don't look at me, Ryuuzaki, how will I know if you're telling the truth?"

L opened his eyes, stared into Raito's amber ones, so close to him.

"I was a child. I had no parents," he began. "I was alone. I'm not going to tell you the details. You're still my suspect."

"Fair enough," said Raito.

And – " L stopped to take a shaking breath. "There was a man. Because I had nobody – no one to protect me. No one that cared what happened to me. He came to me at night and he – he made me – he abused me."

"He raped you?" Raito asked.

"He did a lot of things to me," said L. "That was one of them."

L became aware that something was running down his face. Was he crying? Had Raito made him cry?

"I don't like you, Raito-kun," he murmured.

"So when I thought you almost told me last night that you were a virgin," Raito said, "That wasn't true. You just let me think it."

"I was going to say," L sniffed, "I never had sex with anyone I wanted to have. But then I decided I didn't want to tell you that."

"You should have done, Ryuuzaki," said Raito, unwinding the chains from around L's body. "You could have saved us both all of this."

"What?" L stared at his friend. "But – you believe me? You don't think I'm Kira?"

"I never did, Ryuuzaki," said Raito.

"Then what – what is all this about?"

"Ryuuzaki," Raito leaned back against the pillows, "I could look in a textbook on child abuse and I'd see you looking back at me. Everything you do – your oral fixation, your eating disorder – "

"I don't _have_ an eating disorder!" L protested.

"Eating compulsion, then. Also your lack of interest in your appearance, your reluctance to form any kind of relationship, the way you react to trigger words, even the way you sit and stand, protecting yourself."

"You've been, been analyzing me?"

"I'm interested in you," said Raito. "And when you started saying you were him, I thought I'd take the opportunity to get you to tell me this."

"Because you thought I was _interesting?"_ L almost shouted.

"Because I thought you needed to tell somebody about it," Raito said, with a half smile. "And because I wanted it to be me that you told."

"You are such a fucking arrogant bastard!" L hissed.

"True."

"How can you be so manipulative!"

Raito leaned forward, his face so close to L's that the detective could feel his friend's breath against his lips. "Must be like looking in a mirror, Ryuuzaki."

"Get out of my bed!" L yelled. "And stay away from me! Don't ever come near me again!"

"Whatever you say," said Raito, stumbling backwards off the bed. He raised his arm and shook the chain that hung from it. "Though staying away from you is going to be difficult..."

L didn't reply. He grabbed the bedcovers and pulled them over himself, turning his back on Raito.

"Ryuuzaki – " he heard the tentative murmur from the other bed.

"Go to hell," L said.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I told everyone I wasn't updating for a while but found myself with some unexpected spare time so I thought I'd finish this for Light's birthday – happy birthday Light, I hope you like what you're gonna get! XD_

_There's a translation of the Japanese words at the end – because there was no way this time to work it into the text for them to explain it._

_Thanks very much for all the reviews, they make me happy, happy! And look, they make the chapters longer too! XD_

_SPOILER – details from manga/anime, best if you've read/seen it first but it doesn't matter so much as nearly all of this takes place behind the scenes – or under the covers if you prefer._

_DISCLAIMER – Death Note is not mine – if I had one, there'd be the fuck of a lot less politicians come tomorrow. These guys are not mine either, but oh, I wish, I wish..._

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

L sighed. Shifted on his chair. Looked at his computer screen, then looked away again.

He'd been depressed before, sinking into a black mood that seemed impervious to any kind of stimulus. But this was different. This wasn't just boredom or self-dislike, this misery had a focus. An annoying and beautiful focus that was handcuffed and chained to him and right now, not speaking to him unless it was absolutely necessary. Their argument the other night had just been the beginning of their estrangement, since then things had gone from bad to worse.

They'd spent a day moving into the new building that L had ordered to be constructed for the investigation, then there had been the dreadful date with Misa. Accused of lacking motivation to pursue Kira any further, L had admitted to his depression and stated that he didn't see the point in going on with the investigation, since it seemed that the ability to be Kira could pass from person to person at will. Which had led to a room-wrecking fight – and Raito had accused him of not being satisfied unless he could prove that his friend was Kira. L had agreed that seemed likely, at which point they would probably have done each other some serious injury if Matsuda hadn't called the room with a bit of nonsense about Misa's popularity and defused the situation.

That had been three days ago. L and Raito had been pointedly polite to each other ever since and had had no kind of personal conversation at all.

The move had brought its own embarrassments with it as L, thinking to make them more comfortable, had arranged for a double bed to be put in their room. And had forgotten to change the arrangements when they stopped talking to one another.

However, Raito hadn't said anything about it, just got into bed on their first night there and pointedly laid as far away from L as possible.

They still showered together, avoiding each other's gaze and neither of them had suggested using the bath that was also in the room.

L was on the point of letting Raito go, taking off the cuffs and admitting defeat. After all, where was Raito going to go? It would be easy enough for L to find him if he needed to question him some more – which wasn't likely. All the questions around the case had already been asked and answered with Raito's denial of ever being Kira and L's refusal to believe that. And any other questions – well, after what L had done to the boy there was nothing he wanted to ask for that didn't seem likely to be answered with a stark refusal.

L swung his chair idly around again and nearly collided with Matsuda, who was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and cake in the other.

"Sorry, Ryuuzaki," said Matsuda immediately, though it had been L's fault. He put down the cake and coffee, then paused before leaving.

"Thank you, Matsuda-san," said L, dully, presuming that was what the young detective had been waiting for.

"It's a pleasure, Ryuuzaki," said Matsuda, but he still didn't go. Instead he leaned over L, whispered into his ear.

"Are you all right, Ryuuzaki?"

"Of course, Matsuda-san, why wouldn't I be?" L replied, a little puzzled.

"You seem upset," Matsuda replied. "Is it because of that fight you had with Yagami-kun?"

L looked up at the young detective, seeing nothing but concern in his face.

"Maybe," L confessed. "That – and other things."

"Everyone has disagreements," Matsuda murmured. "It's difficult for both of you, the circumstances – the case, and you never get out anywhere. You shouldn't let it make you so miserable. You need to talk to him."

"Talk to him?" L said, wondering what Matsuda meant. "I do talk to him. You've seen me talking to him."

"Not about the case and Kira!" Matsuda said. "What I mean is, Ryuuzaki, if you fall out with someone that you care about, it just makes it worse if you don't sort it out between you."

"There's nothing to sort out!" L said, wishing now that he hadn't led Matsuda to believe he and Raito were involved in a completely different way to how they were.

"Don't be like that!" Matsuda muttered urgently into L's ear. "It's obvious that you and Yagami-kun are made for each other, when you're together nobody else can understand a word you're saying!"

"Is that a good thing?" L wondered.

"Of course!" Matsuda said. "If you aren't – I mean if you are – what I mean is, if you're not quite like everyone else and you find someone you like that's exactly like you, then you shouldn't throw it away over a stupid argument!"

L, about to tell Matsuda to mind his own business, paused in surprise. "You think Yagami-kun is exactly like _me?"_

"Well, yes, isn't that what you like about each other?" Now Matsuda looked surprised. "You have so much in common – you're even rude to other people in the same way!"

"Actually, Matsuda-san, I think I may have exaggerated a little," L said. "I don't really think that Yagami-kun likes me that way – "

"Don't be so silly!" Matsuda smiled. "You're just feeling that way because you had this little lovers' spat! Anyone can see he thinks the world of you, every time he's not working he never looks at anyone else! The rest of us might as well not be in the room!"

"But Matsuda-san – " L said, then what Matsuda had said caught up with him. He could be irritatingly slow when he was depressed.

He reached out, put a hand on Matsuda's arm. "He looks at me?"

"Well, yes, of course he does," said Matsuda. "All of the time. _Those_ kind of looks."

"_Those_ kind of looks?"

"You know," the young detective gave an embarrassed cough. "Bedroom looks."

"At me?" L questioned. "When I'm not looking at _him?"_

"He probably doesn't want to distract you from your work," said Matsuda. "So he looks at you when you're busy and not paying him any attention. I know if someone was looking at me that way, I'd be distracted!"

He gave L a gentle pat on the shoulder and left the detective staring after him in bewilderment.

L shook his head and turned to look at Raito again. Found the boy's eyes on him, a strange expression in them. One L had never seen there before. Not a very pleasant one, either, definitely not one of Matsuda's bedroom looks. When he saw L looking at him, he pointedly turned away and went back to what he was doing. L thought about asking him what it was but he didn't think he could be bothered. Instead, he went back to swinging his chair around, ignoring the cake and coffee that Matsuda had brought.

"Ryuuzaki," Raito's voice drifted into L's darkness and he half-turned his head from where it had been resting on the back of his chair.

"I know you've lost interest in the case," Raito went on, "But just come here a second and look at this."

As Raito pointed out the deaths that had occurred to favor the Yotsuba corporation, particularly the three heart attack victims, L felt his depression start to lift. Not just because the case was finally moving forward. But also because this was the closest he'd been to Raito for days, both of them leaning over to look at the same screen, Raito's strawberry scent surrounding the detective.

"So are you feeling more motivated now?" Raito asked presently, his expression hopeful.

L just smiled and pulled up his chair.

They were still working sometime after midnight. After the excitement of discovering the possible connection between Kira and the Yotsuba group, there had been the disappointment of hearing that the police were no longer going to work on the Kira case – and the sudden departure of Aizawa, who left his angry words about L's methods hanging in the air to make everyone uncomfortable. On the plus side, Raito had declared decisively that L would never be alone while he was around... of course, he was handcuffed to the detective and didn't have that much choice about it.

L sighed. He was hungry. And tired. He realised how late it was, they'd worked for hours and nobody else was here any more. He glanced at Raito and noticed with a flash of guilt that the boy looked exhausted. He was pale, had caffeine-shake and the dark circles under his eyes rivalled L's own.

He realised that Raito hadn't slept much in the past few days. L hadn't slept much either, sitting up into the early hours with his laptop, not working much, not doing anything much. Thinking. Or perhaps brooding would be a better word for it.

Meanwhile, Raito had gone to bed and then tossed and turned for hours, before falling into restless sleep punctuated by bouts of unintelligible muttering and the occasional plaintive cry of "Aijin." Who was this damn dream lover, L wondered. Whoever he was, Raito didn't seem happy with him. Maybe he was meeting Kira in his dreams? L knew how unpleasant that could be.

But at least Raito seemed to have got over his annoyance with L. Had worked flat out to find something to bring the detective's attention back to the case. Thinking about it, L realised that had been a nice thing for him to do. A caring thing. Maybe he wasn't so angry any more – and Matsuda had said they should talk about it. This wasn't a good time with them both so tired, but perhaps tomorrow –

L turned his monitor toward him so it couldn't be seen and typed in a Google search.

Relationship Problems 

There certainly seemed to be a lot of pitfalls out there for anyone deciding they needed to spend time with somebody else... he discarded divorce, child custody, my partner had an affair how do we move on and settled for –

I can't seem to stop arguing with my partner, what can we do? 

Hmmm, hostile silence, that sounded like what had been going on here. Apparently it wasn't necessary. That seemed hopeful... he looked down the list of common topics of disagreement. Money, no, the situation they were in L paid for everything and Raito didn't even think about it... housework, certainly not, L didn't do it and from what he'd seen on the hidden cameras in the Yagami household, Raito had no interest in it either... disciplining children, well they didn't have any... sex. He looked for anything more, but that was it. Sex. Yes, they'd certainly had an argument about that. At least, that was where it had started.

He read further down the page, finding out that if their disagreements had reached the level of physical violence they should seek counselling. Dismissed that idea. Couldn't imagine sitting in front of some stranger explaining, I chained my lover and bit him and then he hit me for suggesting that I wanted him to be a mass-murderer so I could justify myself. Those didn't seem the kind of things you said to any third party.

Lover? Had he just thought of Raito as his lover? Where had that come from? He wasn't. Not in the sense that they had ever done anything – anything that lovers might do together. Had they? Well, there was all the talking. And the way they understood each other. And the sexual innuendo, although probably sitting on someone and squishing your groins together went a bit beyond innuendo.

He finished reading the page and checked out some other ones but they all seemed to be saying exactly the same as Matsuda. That they had to talk to one another. Hopefully without any more violence and probably the Kira accusations should be kept to a minimum too.

L thought about tomorrow. Would there be time? This Yotsuba thing needed more looking into. But this was important too. Maybe they could finish work early. But was there even any point? Or was that the lingering traces of depression speaking, pointlessness seemed to be a feature of that state of mind. It had to be worth a try, he thought, reaching for his phone and looking up Yagami senior's number.

After all, he thought, when he'd finished texting, there were really only two things to consider. Firstly, was Raito really interested in L, or was he trying to take advantage of the situation in some way. And secondly, was there any likelihood that he would forgive being scared and bitten by L? The detective shuddered, thank God he'd come to his senses before he did what he thought he may have intended and raped Raito, how could they have even been in the same room after he did something like that?

L thought around his problems but didn't see how he could answer either of them. The only person that knew the answers was Raito – and of course, _that_ was why he had to talk to Raito.

L rolled his eyes, appalled that he was being so stupid over the matter.

So, talk to him. It would be difficult. He'd never in his life had to have what would be described as an intimate conversation with anybody. Didn't even know how to begin. He would have to tell the truth, for one thing, even if he didn't want to. Maybe he could start by apologising for the biting. And the suggestion that he wanted Raito to be Kira because God knew, he really didn't. Not now...

Yes, those would be good things to begin with. And perhaps he could put things right and they would be – what would they be? Lovers? L found it hard to imagine himself with someone so interested in him, interested enough to want to be with him. But maybe Raito saw something in his sweet Ryuuzaki that even L himself was not aware of? He smiled at the thought of Raito saying that, remembered the other things he'd said. Hot things. L knew some people were quiet during sexual activity, apart from the necessary moaning and so on, but Raito seemed to be a talker. Imagine that! Someone wanting to talk dirty to L – and not just anybody, but the most beautiful and sexy guy L had ever met in his whole life –

"Are you okay, Ryuuzaki?" Raito's tired voice.

"Yes, I'm fine," L turned to his friend.

"It's just – you seem to have a breathing problem," said Raito.

"I do?"

"And you looked like you were about to fall off your chair."

"I did?"

"Are you looking at porn, there?" Raito enquired.

"No!" said L, quickly shutting down all his web pages.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," said Raito, his voice slightly slurred with exhaustion. "I do that all the time."

"I wasn't – " L began. Then decided to start being honest right here. "I was looking at something else. But I was thinking porn."

Raito gave a low laugh and stood up.

"I need the bathroom," he said.

"We should go to bed," L suggested. "It's late. You look tired."

"You too, Ryuuzaki," said Raito. "But that seems fairly normal for you."

"Not for you," said L. "You need a good night's sleep."

"Don't you want cake?" Raito asked, as they left the room. "You always want cake at bedtime."

"There's some in our room, Raito-kun," L said, surprised that Raito would think he might overlook such a necessity.

"Good thing, since you don't have Matsuda around right now to bring you it," said Raito rather cattily.

"He's very helpful in that way," L agreed, wondering what this was leading up to.

"Yes, I noticed how _helpful_ you find him," Raito said, now sounding positively bitchy.

"He's an interesting person," L lied, as he actually had little or no interest in Matsuda at all. "Cheerful. Helpful."

"You already said that," said Raito. "Mr Helpful, I get the picture. Mr Cheerful, Helpful and Overly Touchy."

"Touchy?"

"Feely," Raito elaborated, as they walked down the corridor to their rooms.

"I don't recall him ever feeling anything of mine, Raito-kun," said L, innocently. "Has he perhaps offered to feel something of yours?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" Raito said, waiting for L to unlock their door. "All that whispering and, and _touching!"_

"Touching?" L switched on the light and headed for the kitchen.

"Today!" Raito snapped. "You and Matsuda getting cosy over a piece of cake!"

"I didn't eat the cake," L recalled. "No wonder I'm hungry now..."

"Fuck the cake!" Raito said. "Although you probably would if you got the chance, you love it that much."

"But not in that way, Raito," said L, desperately trying to restrain laughter.

"So what about Matsuda?" Raito finally asked. "Do you like him that way?"

"I can't imagine what would give you that idea, Raito-kun," said L, cutting himself a large slice of cake. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Um... yeah... have we got any fruit?"

L stared at Raito and slowly raised an eyebrow.

"Very funny," Raito smiled, reluctantly. "I meant the kind of fruit you eat."

L just kept on staring. Raito's face began to flush slightly.

"Really, what a dirty mind you have, Ryuuzaki!" he said, pushing past the detective and rummaging in the fridge.

"I didn't say a word!" L protested.

"You don't have to," said Raito, poking around in a bowl of sliced peaches. "How old are these? They smell okay..." he grabbed a spoon from the counter and began to eat them. "So what about you and Matsuda?"

"Nothing about me and Matsuda," said L. "He was just being friendly. I have no interest in him."

"Hmmm... good." said Raito. "He wouldn't suit you."

"Which is why I have no interest in him, Raito-kun," said L.

Raito fell silent but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence like the one that had been surrounding them for the past few days. L thought the boy looked as if he was simply too tired to talk and this hypothesis was confirmed when, after a quick trip to the bathroom, Raito climbed into bed and was asleep before L could get in beside him.

L arranged his pillows around himself and settled down for the night, turning off the light and laying back, listening to the sound of Raito's regular breathing in the darkness. It was strangely comforting. Soothing. He smiled to himself as he drifted toward sleep, happy that they were talking to one another again.

"Iie! Iie!"

L opened his eyes, looking round in alarm.

"Iie..." the muted cry came from Raito's side of the bed and the detective sat up, inspecting his sleeping companion.

Raito was restless, tossing his head from side to side, moaning occasionally.

"Onegai shimasu..." he muttered. "Samishii desu..."

He made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a groan, and L reached out a hand to him, put it on the sleeping boy's shoulder. What could Raito be dreaming about that made him call out that he was lonely?

"Aijin," Raito murmured.

L sighed. Back to that again, the unknown dream lover. L wished he knew who it was. Or maybe he didn't. In any case, he wished Raito didn't dream about whoever it was so persistently. But why did he wish that? Was he jealous? Examining the feeling, he had to reluctantly conclude that he was. Stupid to be jealous of a dream, something not even as real as Matsuda or cake.

Suddenly, Raito moaned loudly, almost a wail and L, alarmed, reacted instinctively, throwing aside the pillow that was between them and reaching out to take the boy into his arms. Raito didn't resist, but snuggled into L's embrace as if it was what he'd been searching his dreams for.

"Shhhh," L murmured to him. "Sleep, Raito – I won't let anything hurt you."

"Aijin," Raito muttered again, throwing an arm around L's waist. "Aishiteru..."

L hugged him close, feeling almost depressed again as Raito expressed his love for –

"Ryuu-chan," Raito whispered.

L peered down into Raito's face in amazement. Was he awake? No, his eyes were closed and his breathing had slowed as the dream lessened its hold on him. But why – those words, in conjunction with the name Raito knew him by – what did it mean? Had Raito just said "I love you, Ryuu-chan?" Or were the two words unconnected, just happening to follow on after each other? Or was he perhaps addressing some other person whose name could be shortened familiarly to Ryuu?

More questions there were no answers to. L reflected that relationships, or potential relationships anyway, seemed to bring a lot of those with them.

He shifted a little to get comfortable and gently slid one hand away from Raito's body. The boy gave a little moan. L put his hand back.

He waited a few minutes. Lifted his arm off Raito very carefully.

"Unnn!" Raito writhed, uncomfortably. L hugged him close again, calming him.

This was awkward. L had a sleep ritual and Raito was disturbing it. But – maybe there was a way around it? L's arms were both around Raito and one of the boy's was around him. That left a spare, which was presently pressed against L's chest. But he would have to be quick before Raito became so disturbed that he woke.

Waiting until the boy seemed to have sunk back into comfortable sleep, L nudged the covers away from them, reached around, grabbed Raito's hand from its place against his chest and moved it up towards his face, then drew the boy back into his arms before he had chance to do more than mutter a little.

He nodded, pleased at his success and shifted slightly, so Raito's hand was in the correct position. Bent forward and took the boy's thumb into his mouth. Smiled around it. Now he could sleep.

"Ryuuzaki!"

L almost opened his eyes, then decided he didn't want to. It was nice here, Raito all snuggled up in his arms, warm and comfortable...

"Ryuuzaki, I know you're not asleep!"

"Hmm? How?"

"I can hear you thinking! Wake up!"

"Why?"

"Because it's time to go to work. And you're drooling on my face. And I need to pee."

"Don't have to work yet, Raito-kun," L mumbled. "I sent your father text... come in later. Need sleep." He grabbed the sheet and dabbed at Raito's face, wiping it clean.

There was silence for a moment.

"I still need to pee."

"Okay, okay," L reluctantly disengaged himself from the boy and sat up. "So do I, now I come to think of it."

They shuffled into the bathroom, L lifted the lid and unfastened his clothing. Raito was doing the same next to him and when L looked down to check the flow was going in the right direction, he saw two streams of urine pouring into the bowl instead of one. Then Raito shifted a little, pressing himself against his friend's side, and the two streams merged, splashing together into the water.

L wondered if he was a very sick person thinking that this was probably the most romantic thing he'd ever seen.

"Ryuuzaki," Raito said as they washed their hands. "I have something to say to you."

"Hmm?" said L. "Does it have to do with coffee?"

"That too," said Raito, leading the way to the kitchen.

L waited until he'd filled the coffee maker with water and Raito had spooned in coffee.

"I have something to say to you, too," he said.

"Oh. Do you want to go first?" Raito asked hopefully.

"No, you can," L said, still putting his thoughts in order.

"Well, I uh..." Raito was looking at his feet, his face slightly flushed. "I, uh, I'm sorry."

"That looked difficult," L commented.

"You can make it even more so if you want," Raito said, looking up.

"What are you sorry for, Raito-kun?" L asked instead.

"Hitting you. And making you tell me things you didn't want to."

"Perhaps you were right," L said. "Perhaps I needed to tell somebody."

"Well, I'm not saying I wasn't right," said Raito. "But what I did was rude. And intrusive."

L turned away and opened the fridge, taking out a melon.

"I am also sorry, Raito-kun," he said.

"You are?" Raito leaned against the kitchen counter, watching L dissect the melon. "What for, exactly?"

"Biting you," L said.

"So you should be," Raito agreed. "If you really want to mark me, I could just get your name tattooed on my ass!"

L paused in his melon preparation, his eyes wandering as if by their own volition to Raito's posterior.

"Oh, you like that?" Raito teased. "Of course, I couldn't put Ryuuzaki, because then I'd have to have it lasered off and replaced when you tell me your real name..."

"Raito-kun is trying to find out my name?" L said.

"I suppose you'll tell me it eventually," Raito continued. "When you finally get it through your head that I'm not Kira. But for now, I could have a big L put on it."

"L?" said L, thoughtfully, knife poised. "L on your ass, Raito-kun?"

"L on my ass," Raito said, staring into the detective's eyes.

L turned away, wondering why the room suddenly seemed so hot. Or maybe it was him, reacting to – damn Raito, everything about him was hot!

"I'm also sorry for scaring you," he said.

"I wasn't scared, Ryuuzaki!" Raito protested.

"You looked scared," L said, noticing that Raito's eyes were still on the now neatly squared pieces of melon. The boy's stomach rumbled suddenly.

L smiled and picked up a piece of melon, held it out to Raito, who looked at it. Then looked up at L.

"Breakfast, Raito-kun," L said.

Raito smiled and instead of reaching for the melon with his hand, bent and took it in his mouth, his lips around L's fingers, his tongue lightly flicking over them.

He stood up and looked at L, challengingly.

"Maybe I was a little bit scared," he said. "Mostly surprised. But if you like it rough, that's no problem. Kind of... interesting, actually. Maybe when you take off these cuffs, I could get a collar instead? Maybe I could get nipple rings?"

"Uuuuh!" L muttered, his gaze now drifting down to Raito's chest and picturing –

"You like that too?" Raito raised an eyebrow. "Ow. If I have that done, you can come with me and hold my – "

He stopped suddenly as L grabbed him by the arms, pulling him close.

"Raito-kun," the detective growled into his friend's face, "I have recently come to a conclusion."

"Are you going to share it with me, Ryuuzaki?" Raito asked, smiling and winding his arms around L's neck distractingly.

"I think that we should be more honest with each other," said L.

"Oh, Ryuuzaki, is this about you want me to tell you I'm Kira?" Raito's face fell.

"I don't give a fuck about Kira," said L, firmly. "What I want to know, Raito-kun, is why you seem to take such pleasure in teasing me and playing with me?"

Raito stared into his friend's eyes. "Playing?" he said. "Teasing?"

"Yes," said L. "You consistently flirt with me and flaunt yourself at me in a provocative way and I find it – I find it distressing."

"Distressing?" said Raito, looking quite distressed himself. "But – but I thought – I mean, I was sure – are you saying you don't like me?"

"Like you?" L was puzzled. Hadn't he just explained that liking Raito was the problem?

"I'm sorry," Raito said, hanging his head. "I was mistaken, Ryuuzaki. I – " he fell silent. Then sniffed.

"Raito-kun?" L said. "Are you unhappy? Is this behaviour that you indulge in important to you in some way? Perhaps you gain some kind of ego gratification from it – "

Raito looked up and L was horrified to see that his eyes were swimming with tears.

"If you don't like me, all you have to do is say so," Raito said in a choked voice. "There's no need to make it sound as if I'm – what did you say? Ego gratification? _Why?"_

"Um, because you need to have people admire you?" said L. "And I didn't say I didn't like you. What I _said_ was, you're playing on the fact that I like you – "

"I'm not _playing!"_ Raito blurted out.

L stared at him. "Then why – why – why – " he shook his head, attempting to dislodge some more words. "If you're not teasing me – the only other conclusion I can come to is that – " he stopped, unable to say it.

"You think I'd climb all over you and ask you to screw me to gratify my ego?" Raito said. "And let you bite me and never complain about it? And offer to be your, your bitch, with a collar on, if that's what you like? That's a very peculiar ego I've got there, Ryuuzaki!"

They stared into each other's eyes, Raito angrily, L feeling as though the whole world was turning upside down and presenting itself to him in quite a different way.

"You, er – " the detective began.

"Like you!" Raito snapped. "Yes! I like you! God knows why, but I do! And I want you too, you bastard! It's driving me crazy how you look at me and get undressed in front of me and sleep with me and just ignore what it does to me the whole time! You're the fucking tease, Ryuuzaki, not me!"

"I didn't know, Raito," said L, wonderingly. "It seemed such a remote possibility that you could actually be interested in me."

"Well, I am!" Raito said. "So what do you want to do about it?"

L thought for a moment. "I'm not quite sure, Raito, but I think perhaps kissing seems appropriate?"

Raito raised his eyes to heaven but said nothing. Just wrapped his arms tighter around the detective's neck and leaned in toward him.

L thought afterward that he would remember until the day he died the sweetness of that first kiss with Raito. The way their lips touched, tentatively at first, tasting each other, the tang of melon, the softness of Raito's mouth on his.

"Mmmm..." Raito murmured and pressed his body close against the detective's.

L replied with an unintelligible growl, pulling the boy tightly into his arms, squeezing him, his lips moving desperately on Raito's.

Raito's mouth opened and L took the invitation, their tongues meeting, caressing, twining around each other. L could feel Raito's hands sliding over his back, down, slipping under the edge of his pj top, then the touch of Raito's fingers on his skin, gently exploring.

L pulled away for a moment, staring at his friend, overwhelmed by what was happening.

"What?" said Raito, his face flushed, a look in his eye that L could only describe as feral. "Don't make me wait any longer, Ryuu-chan, or I swear I'll turn seme and do you on the kitchen counter!"

"Think you could?" L murmured, his breath catching, hearing Raito use the name for him he'd used in his sleep.

"You'd like it," Raito said.

"You know I wouldn't, Raito-kun," L said.

"You'd like it with me," Raito disagreed. "I'd make you like it."

L gave a soft laugh. "So confident, my Raito, you think you can make everything right."

"I know I could do that," Raito said. "But I won't. Not yet. I'll wait until you ask me to. Beg me to – "

L decided to act before the scenario got too out of control. He pushed Raito back against the kitchen counter, reclaimed the boy's lips and slid his hands down to Raito's butt, grinding his hips into the boy's groin.

Raito moaned and melted against the detective, his fingers gripping handfuls of L's shirt, his eyes half closed, messy morning hair falling around his face as he leaned back against the counter.

"Now tell me you want to be seme," L muttered, running his tongue over the line of Raito's jaw, bending to kiss the soft skin of his neck.

"I don't!" Raito murmured, moving his hands around to unbutton L's shirt. "I want you – I'll do anything you want!"

"Anything?" L buried his face in Raito's neck, sucking and biting.

"Uuuuh!" Raito cried out, pulling L's shirt off him and pushing it down to hang from the chain connecting their cuffs. "Oooh, quick, undress me!"

L grabbed the boy's shirt, tugging the buttons free, a couple of them bursting off and pinging onto the kitchen floor. He felt a sudden pang of guilt, seeing the scabbed bite he'd left on Raito's chest.

"Oh, Ryuu-chan," Raito moaned. "Wait! Listen to me! Just a minute..."

"What?" the detective said breathlessly, about to slide Raito's pants down.

"I want to ask you – " Raito hung his head, blushing fiercely. "I don't mind what you do. Bite me, beat me if you want to, tie me up, spank me – "

"But Raito – "

"Listen, will you! I just want – the first time, Ryuu-chan, I don't want you to hurt me. I want it to be – to be nice. I want to like it..."

"Raito, I don't want to – " L began. Then paused. "Is that Kylie Minogue?"

"It's my phone!" Raito pushed himself away from the counter and hurried back into the bedroom, tugging L along behind him, then snatching up his phone from the bedside table.

"Hai – Docchi sama desu ka?" His face lit up in a broad smile. "Sugoi ne! Shinjirarenai!" and he switched suddenly to English. With, L noted, an extremely sexy accent. "But Jason, why do you call me from so far? This is so expensive for you!"

"Jason?" L said.

Raito nodded at him as he listened. "Email? I don't get an email from you..." he glared accusingly at the detective.

"I forgot!" L clutched his head. "I'm sorry, Raito – I was depressed..."

"It's my boyfriend email, Jay," Raito said into the phone. "He forgot to tell me."

L couldn't make out what was being said in England, but it was loud enough to make Raito hold the phone away from his ear.

"It's not that!" the boy protested when he could finally get a word in. "He has a lot on his mind to think about – " He paused to listen again. This time it was loud enough for L to hear. It was probably loud enough, he thought, to hear without benefit of the phone network.

"I thought you wanted someone EXCITING, princess!" the voice bawled.

"Princess?" L wondered.

"No, he's very exciting!" Raito said, meanwhile avoiding L's eyes. "A most interesting person – "

His eyes widened as he listened, then he held out the phone to L.

"He wants to talk to you," he said.

L took the phone cautiously, and sat down on the bed before he spoke into it.

"Hello?"

"Do you speak English?" he heard.

"I think I am speaking English," L replied.

"So you're not going to have any trouble understanding me?"

"I don't imagine so," L said. "At this volume, I doubt anyone in the English speaking world has trouble understanding you."

"Oh," the voice said, then went on in a slightly quieter tone. "This is Jason."

"So I understand," L said. "You can call me Ryuuzaki."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise, I'm sure."

"Okay. So are you serious about Raito?"

"What does that have to do with you?" L countered.

"He's my friend! And I'm worried about him!"

"You have no need to be concerned," L assured him.

"I beg to differ, but I think I do!" Jason was getting louder again. "Do you have any idea what his life's like? He sits around studying, passing exams because that's what's expected of him, he's going to join the police force because that's what his father does – he never does anything because he wants it. I don't think he even cares about what he wants! And now he has a boyfriend who doesn't care what he wants either, aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

"Is this about those photos?" L asked.

"Yes, and not letting him read his email!" Jason bellowed. "He doesn't need someone that controlling in his life, how's he ever goingtodoanythinghewantstodo!"

"Good point," said L. "I'll make sure in future that he gets exactly what he wants."

"You will?" said Jason.

"I will," said L, and then, because this was Raito's friend and had proven himself to be so, calling up just because he was worried, he added, "I'm not very experienced with these matters."

"Oh, I see," Jason said. "I think... Uh, well, just be affectionate to him and ask him what he'd like to do! Give him some flowers! Buy him a t-shirt!"

"Take him out somewhere!" said a different voice, followed by an Ooomph! sound.

"Nathan, get your hand off that!" L heard. "You know I can't think when you do that – uh, sorry about that. Yes, take him out somewhere."

"Watch our vid!" said the other voice.

"Oh, yeah, we filmed ourselves having sex and sent it to you!" said Jason, cheerfully.

"You did _what?"_ said L.

"What did they do?" said Raito, throwing himself on the bed and snuggling up to L. On the phone side, the detective noted, so he could hear the conversation.

"They filmed themselves having sex," said L.

"Oooh, can I see?" Raito exclaimed.

"It's in the email we sent you," somebody said. "We put some kink in it, cause Light says you like that!" Then there was giggling.

"No, stop it!" someone said.

"Is this phone sex?" L murmured to Raito.

"No, that's when you call someone up and say dirty things to them," Raito said.

"You'd be good at that," L mused.

"We have to go!" Jason sounded breathless. "Answer your mail, Light! We thought something had happened to you, like your boyfriend was a serial killer or something!"

"I will," said Raito, which was followed by a round of everyone saying goodbye to everyone else in various languages and kisses blown down the phone.

"That was nice!" said Raito when the connection was finally severed. "I haven't spoken to him for a long time!"

"He cares about you, Raito-kun," said L, thoughtfully.

"We have things in common," said Raito, putting his arms around L.

"Besides being gay?" L smiled.

"Mmm, yes. Besides that."

"And how long has this been going on, Raito?"

"Me being gay?" Raito raised an eyebrow. "Always, I suppose. Why?"

"Just interested," L slid his arm around Raito's waist, causing them to overbalance and fall backward onto the bed.

"How about you?" Raito asked, wriggling around so he could discard his shirt.

L leaned up and undid the cuffs that bound them, allowing them to both slide their shirts off the chain. He looked at it, then threw it on the floor.

"You're not putting it back on?" Raito asked.

"It might get in the way," L told him.

"Hmmm," Raito purred and started to slowly slip off his pyjama pants. "So tell me, how long have you been gay?"

"I can't tell you, Raito," L confessed, watching hungrily as the pants made their slow way down Raito's slim hips. "I didn't know I was."

"But you must've had, you know, inclinations?"

"I didn't think of it like that," said L, enjoying the sight of Raito's pubic hair coming into view. "I never thought of myself in that way."

"How can you be so cute, Ryuuzaki, and not think of that?" Raito half sat up, looking at his friend in amazement. "Didn't you get people asking you – oh, I suppose you didn't want to. After what happened to you."

"No, Raito-kun, I didn't," L confessed. "The whole subject has made me nervous for years."

"But not now?" Raito lay back down and stuck his fingers under the waistband of his pjs again, sliding it down a miniscule amount.

"Now I'm being tortured with teasing!" L complained.

"I'm sure you can think what to do about that, Ryuu-chan," Raito murmured.

"Raito..." L leaned forward and grabbed the pants, pulling them down and off. Leaned up on his elbow to see what he'd revealed.

Raito lay back, his face slightly flushed with embarrassment, though he was obviously enjoying being admired. He was so beautiful, L thought, his body a slim, muscular delight of elegant curves, smooth pale tan apart from where the crisp curls of darkish hair framed his cock, already half erect.

L reached out and ran his hand over the boy's flat, firm stomach, up over his chest, gently tracing his fingers over the wound his teeth had made.

"Wild thing," Raito murmured.

L laughed and leaned over the boy, feeling Raito's arms coming up around his neck, pulling him down, their lips meeting, touching. L closed his eyes as he felt Raito's body against his, his skin, smooth and warm.

Raito broke the kiss, sighing and moved his hands down his lover's body, exploring, stroking. L was amazed that he was so gentle, his fingers like butterflies against the detective's skin, teasing, caressing –

"Eee!" L cried as Raito's hands reached his waist.

"You're ticklish?" Raito said.

"It would seem so, Raito-kun," L admitted.

"Didn't you know?"

"I have never been given the opportunity to be tickled before," L said.

Raito's eyes filled up with mischief and L reached down, grabbed the boys hands and pulled them up, pinning them over his head.

"Don't ruin the mood, Raito," he said.

"I'm sorry," Raito murmured, shifting seductively under the detective. "Oh, look at me, I'm helpless! You could do anything to me now," he raised an eyebrow challengingly.

L laughed. "I intend to, Raito-_chan,_" he murmured, making the boy smile at the intimacy. "Anything that I can think of."

"We don't have any lube," Raito looked worried. "I have hand cream and moisturiser, will any of that work?"

"I don't plan to do that until later," L said. "Tonight. When we have more time. I don't want to rush it. I don't want to hurt you."

"Whatever you want, Ryuuzaki," Raito whispered, burying his face in the detective's hair as L bent to kiss his neck, pressing his lips to the soft, warm skin, running his tongue along Raito's collar bone.

He released Raito's arms and moved lower, dropping kisses over the boy's chest, his mouth moving over the swell of his pectorals, sucking and nibbling.

Raito moaned, twined his hand into L's hair, encouraging him.

"Ryuuzaki – your mouth," he murmured. "How many times I've looked at your mouth... wanted it on me..."

L groaned, his lips finding Raito's nipple, small and hard and pointed, sucking it into his mouth, flicking his tongue over it, teasing it.

"Ohhhh... yes!" he heard from Raito.

L raised his upper body, looked down at his lover, Raito's eyes half closed, his mouth half open, his face flushed and beautiful. Then the detective bent over him, giving his other nipple the same treatment, running his tongue around the areola, making Raito shudder.

"I need you... naked," Raito muttered, twisting in L's grasp, curling around him to reach the detective's midsection, grasping the waistband of his pj pants and pushing it down.

"Oh!" he said, wonderingly. "I can see now why you're worried about hurting me."

"Is there something wrong?" L turned to look at the boy whose face was only inches from the detective's groin, staring at the thick, long, erect cock he had revealed.

"It's big," Raito said, blushing furiously.

"I suppose it is," said L, looking at it curiously. He'd never really considered the size of it before.

"And it's mine!" Raito said, joyously, bending to kiss the tip of it.

L moaned, his dick giving a jerk as Raito's lips collided with the sensitive head.

"Yes," he murmured. "Yours. Help yourself," he went back to caressing Raito's body with his tongue, running it down over the taut flesh of his abdomen, lower and lower, then kissing down one side of his groin, reaching the top of his thigh, inflicting tiny love bites on his delicate skin.

Then he groaned with pleasure, feeling a tongue gently lapping at the head of his cock, tasting it, becoming bolder, licking round its circumference, dipping to tease his frenulum, making him gasp and push towards Raito's mouth.

He bent to lick along the length of Raito's inner thighs, soft hidden skin, the boy moaning at the touch.

"Teasing me..." Raito muttered.

"Teasing you," L agreed.

"How did you get so good at this?" Raito gasped as L's mouth moved up his thigh, kissing and torturing him with the slight pressure of his teeth. "You never did it before!"

"God bless the internet," L murmured.

Raito laughed, then stopped suddenly as L's tongue flicked over his testicles, just one light touch before he returned to his thigh teasing, pushing Raito's legs apart to give him better access. He heard the boy muttering something, then Raito's lips were on him, encircling the swollen head of his cock, sucking at him.

L cried out and clutched at the boy, clasping his arms round Raito's hips, burying his face in his crotch, feeling the hardness of his erection against his face, the soft hair on his cheek, enveloped in the smell of him, the feel of him.

Raito slid his mouth down L's hard shaft, slowly, bit by bit, murmuring something around it, causing all kinds of overpowering sensations. L moaned and grasped his lover tighter, overwhelmed. Then remembered that he should be offering some kind of input to this experience and lifted his head. Raito's stiff cock bounced up toward him and without even thinking about it, L put out his tongue and licked lovingly along its length.

Raito bucked his hips and moaned over the detective's dick. L bent and began to lap at the boy's erection, sliding his tongue up and down it, bathing it. Raito's leg slid around his neck, pinning him, and L smiled. What a control freak Raito was! He let his tongue slip down to lick at Raito's balls, wrapping it around the slightly fuzzy silken skin. Then opened his mouth and took one of them into it, rewarded by a muffled shriek from Raito. L sucked gently on the firm, slippery orb before releasing it and claiming the other one.

He was finding it hard to ignore the pressure building up in his body, the feel of Raito's lips and tongue on his hard, throbbing pole was driving him wild. Then Raito's hand slipped between his legs, cupped his balls and began teasing them, tickling and gently pulling on them. L groaned loudly and licked rapidly up the stiff shaft of Raito's dick, before plunging his mouth over it, tasting the boy's precum on his lips, sucking the length of him deep into his throat.

"Mmmffff!" Raito exclaimed, thrusting his engorged cock into his lover's mouth, writhing against L's body. His hands grasped the detective passionately, pulling him closer, taking more of his huge, swollen shaft into the warm, wet depth of his mouth, his lips closing around it, squeezing, his tongue darting over the tip as L pulled back before slamming the whole length of his cock back into Raito's willing mouth.

It was too much, and L reached down, twined his hand in Raito's hair and gave in to it, holding the boy prisoner, fucking his mouth, sucking hard on Raito's dick, the boy moaning and choking and clutching at his lover's arms.

"Cmm!" Raito managed through the onslaught and L felt the boy's cock swell in his mouth, jerking and pumping hot sticky fluid down his throat, and he felt his own release overpower him, pushing Raito's head down onto his dick, crying out as his cum spurted into his lover's mouth, lost in the ecstasy of being joined with him, giving him the ultimate pleasure.

"I need to lie down," Raito muttered, some time later.

"You are lying down, my angel," L replied. "Or should I call you princess?"

"It's an idiomatic English expression," said Raito sternly, wriggling up the bed to wrap his arms around his lover. "Which you wouldn't understand, _not_ being English."

"So what does it mean, Raito-chan?"

"Uh, it means, uh, someone like – Conan," said Raito. "Or, uh, Batman."

L burst into laughter. It was incredible. He'd hardly ever laughed in his life before and here he was doing it all the time.

"So it would be appropriate for me to call you that in front of the team?" he asked.

"Uh... no..." Raito said. "They might think I was, you know, showing off."

"But surely not if _I _ said it, Raito-chan?"

"Okay, that's not what it means."

"I know. Princess."

"Want me to slap you?"

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"You remember when we took the exam, Ryuu-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"I couldn't stop turning around to look at you. I told myself that it was because you were so strange and different."

"I suppose I am."

"But it was when I was in the cell – I couldn't see you. But I could hear you, talking to me and that was all I had."

"I'm sorry – "

"No, it doesn't matter. You thought you should do it – but one time when you were talking to me, I remember it, that's when I knew. That I wanted to be with you. I wanted to help you and talk to you and – and do this with you. It was quite sudden. It was a shock. I didn't realise I felt that way about you."

"I wanted you when I saw you in your house," L confessed. "Through the cameras. I started thinking about you. During the night."

"Naughty thoughts?"

"Very."

"Mmmm..."

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"It seems strange to me, Raito, that you never did this before."

"Mm?"

"You're so attractive. To everybody. Why haven't you? You must have had offers."

"Yes. But... I didn't like any of them. Not that much. I wanted to wait... I wanted it to be with someone – "

"Someone what?"

"Special."

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"Ryuu-chan, I think I'll cook you dinner tonight."

"Hm?"

"Don't worry, there'll be dessert."

"You can cook, Raito? I never saw you cooking at your parents' house."

"I've seen plenty of cooking! Besides, people do it all the time, how hard can it be?"

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"Is that the Chili Peppers?"

"Huh?"

"Desecration Smile. On my phone."

"No, it's Kylie."

"I don't believe I can't tell the difference, kill me now!"

"I keep telling you, I'm _not_ Kira!"

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"That's the Chili Peppers..."

"Hmm... you taste so good."

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"I think someone's knocking at the door..."

"Damn. Must be time to go to work."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

_A/N:_ _ Hope you all liked the first LEMON – I just wrote down what I'd do with Light if I had him in my bed XD_

_Please review, I'd like to know what you think of it :)_

_JAPANESE TRANSLATION_

_During the night..._

Aijin_Lover_

Aishiteru..._I love you..._

Samishii desu... _I'm lonely..._

Onegai shimasu..._Please..._

Iie... Iie..._No... No..._

_Phone conversation..._

Hai – Docchi sama desu ka? _Yes, who's this?_

Sugoi ne! Shinjirarenai! _Wow! I don't believe it!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: This chapter is for BB, hope you feel better soon! And looking forward to seeing more of your wonderful L :)_

_SPOILER: Chapters 41/42. Episode 18 or 19 of the anime I forget which._

_DISCLAIMER:I didn't write Death Note. I didn't write IN Death Note. But if L wants to chain me up as a suspect I have NO objection whatsoever :D_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

"You're a good driver," Raito said as he and L got out of the ambulance in the underground parking lot of their building. They strolled away, leaving a chastened Matsuda to follow them, probably wondering what kind of trouble he was going to be in after his unauthorised snooping trip to the Yotsuba headquarters. And the annoying consequences that had led L and Raito to have to pick up the supposedly dead Matsuda in an ambulance.

"Yes," the detective agreed. "It's a necessary skill. Do you drive, Raito-kun?"

"I know how," Raito said.

"The same way you know how to cook?"

"No, I've actually driven. On several occasions."

"I could teach you," L said.

"Wouldn't it take a long time?"

"You're intelligent," L said. "And physically capable. I shouldn't think it'd take too long."

"I'd probably enjoy that," Raito said. "I'm enjoying the other things you're teaching me."

L glanced at him as they went into the elevator. Yes, that was definitely a bedroom look. He could hear Matsuda hurrying to catch them up, but let the doors shut and quickly pushed the button for their floor.

"That seems rude," Raito protested.

"I'm known for it," L said, before grabbing his lover and pressing him back against the wall of the moving elevator, claiming his lips in a passionate kiss. Raito wrapped his arms around L's neck and murmured happily as their lips tasted each other, as their tongues –

"Wr hr!" Raito muttered through a mouthful of detective.

"Damn, so we are," L disentangled himself and they went to get changed into normal clothes and go back to work, there was a lot of new information to factor in now after Matsuda's expedition.

Some hours later, L stood up and stepped away from his computer table. "I think that's all," he said. "Everyone can go now. We'll discuss this further in the morning."

"I could stay," said Matsuda, still with an apologetic look on his face. "I know you work until all hours, Ryuuzaki – I could help you – "

L gave him a black look. "We are taking our work upstairs, Matsuda-san. It's just as efficient doing it up there."

"Well, I could come with you!" Matsuda persisted.

L opened his mouth but Raito spoke first.

"You need to get some rest after all you've been through today, Matsuda-san," he said. "Come in early tomorrow instead."

"Yes!" Matsuda looked positively excited at the idea. "I will! Thank you, Yagami-kun!"

"That was very tactful," L said when everyone had gone and they were on their way to their suite.

"You looked like you were about to tell him to fuck off or something," said Raito with a smile. "We don't have enough investigators that we can afford to alienate any of them."

"He's such an idiot!" L said, crossly.

"But he found out something useful in the midst of his idiocy," Raito said. "So no harm done."

"What are all these boxes and bags, Raito-kun?" L asked, looking into the kitchen.

"I said I was going to cook dinner, didn't I?" Raito called from the bathroom. "So I asked Watari to get the things I need – shouldn't we have our chain back on now?"

"Yes, I suppose so," L replied, having noticed an interesting box on top of one of the bags. "Raito-kun, I have something to ask you."

"What is it?"

"When I was watching you, in your home, through the hidden cameras – why were you looking at magazines with pictures of scantily clad women?"

"What do you mean? I wasn't – oh, those magazines. You watched me doing that?"

"I watched you doing everything," L said, opening the box and beginning to consume the contents. "But what I'm interested in is why?"

"Where the hell is my comb?"

"Your hair is perfect already, Raito," L said. "And please stop changing the subject. It's suspicious."

"Suspicious?" said Raito, putting his head around the bathroom door. "What's suspicious about it? I looked at some magazines, so what?"

"You're _gay_, Raito-kun." L said. "What possible interest could such material have for you?"

Raito stared at the detective wonderingly. "Well – I don't know. Maybe I was trying to encourage myself to be heterosexual?"

L paused, his hand halfway to his mouth. "I don't think so, Raito. I've rarely met anyone as comfortable with their alternative sexuality as you seem to be. Why would you want to change it?"

"I don't," Raito agreed. "I mean, maybe I _should_ – it's occurred to me that it'd be a lot more convenient if I was straight. But somehow, I think it suits me to be how I am."

"I have no disagreement with that," L smiled. "So why the magazines?"

"You're so persistent," Raito went over to the window, stared out. "I don't know, Ryuuzaki. I don't remember why I was looking at them. Or even why I had them at all."

"This sounds a lot like the way that Misa can't remember how she knew your name after her trip to Aoyama," L said, with his mouth full.

Raito turned round. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not sure," L said. "But – you had a piece of paper in your bedroom door, Raito-kun. So that you'd know if anyone came in while you were away."

"What of it?" Raito walked across to the kitchen doorway, picked up a bag and began to absently unpack it. "I didn't want anyone coming in and messing around with my things."

"No, then you would have made sure the door was locked in some way," L said. "What you wanted was to _know_ if anyone had been in searching through your things."

"It's much the same, Ryuuzaki," Raito said. "If you've never had a younger sister, you probably don't understand."

"What did you have to hide?" L asked, once more delving into the box he held.

"Um – nothing." said Raito. "Not that I – " he stopped, looking thoughtful. "Maybe those magazines? I wouldn't want my mother or my sister to find those."

"My thoughts exactly," said L. "Those were the only things in your room that could be described as family unfriendly. But that gives us a problem, Raito-kun. Because you were apparently attempting to hide something that you had no reason to have in the first place."

"I don't know what you mean..." Raito's voice trailed away.

"You of all people should not attempt the stupidity ploy with me, Raito-kun," L reproved him. "You know exactly what I mean. If you were appearing to hide something that you had no reason to possess, it suggests that was a way of disguising the fact that you had something else to hide."

"And what would that be?" Raito asked, snappily. "Whatever it was, I'm not aware of it! And your theory doesn't work anyway, Ryuuzaki, because if I was taking out magazines I have no interest in and reading them when nobody else was around, it could only be because I knew I was being observed through your cameras!"

He stopped and they both looked at each other for a few moments.

"That conclusion has also occurred to me, Raito," said L gently, hoping to avoid the full-blown hissy fit that seemed to be looming over Raito's horizon.

"I didn't know," Raito said, sulkily.

"Then explain to me what was going on," L suggested.

"I can't, Ryuuzaki!" Raito said. He picked up a box and slammed it down onto the kitchen counter. Something rattled loudly inside. "I don't know what I was doing! I don't remember!"

He turned away and began to unpack in earnest, laying things out on the counter, dumping new pans into the sink.

"Are you angry with me, Raito?" L ventured after a few minutes.

"What do _you_ think!" Raito turned angrily toward his friend. "How do you think I feel, being in love with a man whose main ambition in life seems to be to have me arrested and put to death!"

L stared, the box forgotten in his hands. "You're – you're in _love_ with me?"

"Don't change the subject!" Raito snarled. "I'm starting to think perhaps you made love with me this morning just so you could prove I was gay and then you'd be able to ask me these questions!"

"No!" L said, putting the box down on the drainer and seizing Raito's hand in his. "I never thought of it – it didn't cross my mind until this morning. When I told you that I became interested in you when I was watching you at home. I remembered the magazines and it struck me as anomalous."

"Well, just add it to your collection of reasons why Raito is Kira, why don't you," Raito said, bitterly, snatching his hand away. "I suppose I should be grateful you think that! You'd have no interest in me at all if I wasn't your pet suspect!"

"How can you say that!" L was starting to feel angry himself. "This – what we have – what we did – this has nothing to do with the case!"

"Bullshit!" Raito turned around and grabbed the detective's arms, forcing him back against the sink. _"Everything_ has to do with the case for you! Everything I do, everything I say! You're just watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake and tell you what you want to know! But I won't, Ryuuzaki, because for the last fucking time _I am not Kira!"_

"I know," said L, staring into Raito's angry, beautiful eyes.

"What?" Raito said, a look of incomprehension crossing his face.

"I know you're not," L repeated. "I know you were. And I know you're not now."

Raito put his head on one side, peering at L through his bangs, puzzled.

"I know you," L said. "I've been obsessed with you for a long time now, Raito, and I know you very well. I know what it was like with Kira, the games we played, the way we tried to trip each other up, destroy each other. And I know how it is with you and you're not the same at all. Something changed. Something left you that was there before and that changed you."

"For better or worse?" Raito said, sourly.

"For the better, of course," L said, slipping his arms around his lover and pulling him closer.

"I'm not so sure," said Raito, but he let himself be embraced, his head falling onto L's shoulder. "We've already come to the conclusion that it'd suit you if I was Kira. So you could arrest me and prove yourself right."

"That's certainly one way of looking at it," L agreed. "And it has its appeal. I don't like to be wrong. But on the other hand, I don't think I am wrong. I may not be able to show everyone else what I feel to be true, but at least I'm confident myself that I'm right."

"Good for you," Raito murmured into the detective's neck, then pulled away. "I have to cook. Unless you've got any more accusations you want to throw at me right now, _L?_ Or anything else you might need to say that I wouldn't want to hear from my lover? And what the – where the _fuck_ are my strawberries?"

He picked up the box that L had discarded and waved it under the detective's nose. "Did you_ eat_ these?"

"That's what they're for, Raito-kun," L said, feeling a little nervous. What he'd said was true, he was convinced that Raito was no longer Kira, but there was still something dangerous about sharing space in a kitchen full of knives and various impromptu bludgeoning implements with an angry man who had the capacity to be a serial killer.

"These were for _dessert!"_ Raito yelled. "I was going to _cook_ them! I have a _recipe_ and everything!"

"I like cooked strawberries," said L, then realised that probably wasn't the best thing he could have said to defuse the situation.

"Well, too fucking bad!" Raito shouted. "Look at this, there's only one left!"

L stared into the box, watched in horror as his hand, seemingly of its own volition, reached out and took the last strawberry.

"No you _don't!_" said Raito, grabbing for it.

They tussled for possession of the last fruit, Raito eventually managing to claim it. He backed away, a triumphant look in his eyes, clutching the, by now, rather squashed strawberry.

"Out!" he said, pointing at the kitchen door.

"What – " L began.

"Out of the kitchen!" Raito repeated. "Now! I'm going to hide this where you'll never find it!"

"I'm a detective, Raito, I'm good at finding things – "

"You'll find my hand on your _backside_ if you don't leave _right now!"_ Raito took a step toward his lover and L decided that discretion was probably the better part of valor and left. Slowly. As if it was just something he wanted to do anyway.

"We need to go buy more strawberries," Raito said, coming out of the kitchen a few moments later.

"Go out?" L said. "You know I don't like to – "

"You went out earlier to rescue Matsuda," said Raito. "Now you can go out to rescue your damn dessert. I'm not making you a dinner with no dessert, Ryuuzaki, you know it's the only part you'll enjoy anyway!"

"Watari's out, and he has the car!" L said.

"We'll take the ambulance," Raito decided.

"Aren't we setting off?" Raito demanded when they were again sitting in the ambulance, having redressed themselves in their uniforms in case anyone thought it odd that they were driving a public service vehicle in normal clothes.

"Chain," said L, clicking a cuff onto Raito's wrist and then doing the same with his own.

"What, you think I might run away?" said Raito.

"It's always possible that we may see someone from the investigation while we're out, Raito-kun," said L. "It might raise questions if we are no longer cuffed together. If we met your father, for instance, he might wonder why you continue to stay with me if I am obviously not strict about your being chained to me."

"Strict," Raito murmured.

L glanced at him. "You like that word?"

"Sounds like the kind of word you get on the internet," said Raito. "One of those sites where everyone wears leather and has a riding crop."

"You like those sites too?" L asked.

"I like a lot of things, Ryuuzaki," Raito half smiled and L felt as if a weight had been lifted off him that he hadn't known was there until it went. Was it so important to him that Raito was happy? It was almost as if his own emotions had become somehow dependent on his lover's – was that normal? Would he find an answer using Google?

A short time later, having successfully found a market and replaced the eaten strawberries, they were driving back to headquarters when Raito leaned forward and stared out the window.

"Stop here, Ryuuzaki!" he said.

"It's no parking," L demurred.

"Not for an ambulance," said Raito. "We might be picking up someone who had a – "

"Heart attack?" L finished when Raito didn't seem inclined to. "Not all heart attacks are Kira-induced, Raito-kun."

"Sensitive subject," Raito muttered.

"I'm sorry," L said, pulling into a space outside a neon-lit adult shop. "Why are we parking here?"

"Parking," Raito murmured.

"Raito-kun appears to find all words suggestive of sex," L said.

"Seems that way recently," Raito admitted. "We're going in that shop."

"What, _that_ shop? I don't think so!"

"We need lube," said Raito, firmly. "I do, anyway. I don't mind you biting and scratching – "

"Scratching?"

"You should see my butt!" Raito said, with a smile. "My fierce little neko – anyway, there are some areas of my body where I prefer not to feel pain. So, lube. Plenty of it."

"But we're dressed as hospital personnel!" L exclaimed. "And we have a chain connecting us!"

"Ryuuzaki, look at that shop. Do you think they've never seen anything as strange as us before?"

L sighed and followed Raito into the shop, first putting the precious strawberries into the glove compartment.

"Can I help you?"

L turned and nearly took a step back at the aggressively attractive vision that confronted him. Bleached blond, almost illegally young, and definitely male; his pants were tight enough to make that obvious to a short sighted person standing fifty yards away. And apart from the pants and a pair of rhinestone-crusted sandals, he was wearing nothing but piercings. Many, many piercings. A name-card hung from a nipple ring, identifying him as an employee of the shop.

"No thanks, we're beyond help," L muttered.

"We're just browsing," said Raito with a sweet smile. "And we want some lube."

"Let me show you!" the youth offered. "We have all kinds here!"

"And those are just the customers," L murmured to himself, earning a disapproving glance from his beloved.

"I want a vibrator!" Raito suddenly decided. "Koibito, do you have some money with you? I don't have enough."

"Um... yes," L said, feeling his face start to heat up. "I have Mastercard – but I'm not sure – "

"My angel!" Raito interrupted, throwing his arms around L's neck and kissing his cheek. "Let's get a few in different sizes! And we could do with one of those strings of naughty beads while we're here! And some underwear!"

"We already have underwear, R- uh, my sweet," L corrected himself, it probably wasn't a good idea to throw their names around in public.

"Not like this, you don't!" said the cute assistant, indicating a rack of items that mostly looked like studs connected together with string. "The lube's just over there, give me a shout if you need any help!"

"I'm hungry," L complained some time later, after they had looked at everything in the shop, some of it twice.

"At least you had strawberries to eat!" Raito said, his arms full of aids to pleasure. "I haven't had anything yet!"

"You have enough – _things_ there, now!" L said. "We can't use all of that in one night, we can come back if there's anything more you want."

"These aren't for tonight, they're for later, when we've done all the vanilla stuff," Raito said. "But you're right, we should go home and have dinner."

"Why have we got a spanking paddle?" L queried, as he watched the blond youth scanning barcodes.

"In case anyone wants spanking, of course," said Raito.

"Is this still about strawberries?" L wondered. "Are you determined to punish me?"

"I thought you might want to use it on me," Raito smiled seductively. "After all, this was your idea," he held up the chain and shook it.

"You think I like bondage and pain," said L.

"A bit of pain never hurt anybody," Raito said, gathering up his bags of purchases while L handed over a card in the name of one of his aliases and wondered how the shop justified charging so much money for so little in the way of underwear. He trailed out of the shop after Raito. Went over to the –

"Where is our ambulance, Raito?" he said.

"This is where we left it!" Raito said, looking all around him and then up in the air as if he thought the vehicle might have grown wings.

"Someone stole our ambulance?" L said.

"What kind of evil person would steal an ambulance!" Raito looked extremely annoyed.

"What do we do now, Raito-kun?" L was at a loss. "We're in the middle of – well, not nowhere, but somewhere not particularly salubrious and all we have are several bags of sex toys!"

"And Mastercard," said Raito. "Don't you have any cash? I've got a bit – we can get a taxi and drive around, an ambulance isn't an easy thing to hide!"

"You're suggesting we go and look for it, Raito?"

"Ryuuzaki, if we don't find it, how are we going to explain where it went to? And if we say it was stolen, somebody, like my father for instance, is going to ask where it was parked..."

"Embarrassing," said L, thoughtfully.

"Just a little."

"And I forgot, our strawberries are still in there!" said L. "Let's find a cab."

"I don't see one anywhere," Raito said, looking up and down the street. A street populated, L now noticed, with what he'd describe as people of the night.

"Raito-kun," he muttered, latching onto Raito's arm, "I don't want to wander around here dressed like this. We're going to be very conspicuous. Can't we go back in the shop and ask them to call us a cab?"

"Good idea," Raito agreed and led the way back into the shop.

After explaining their predicament to the shop assistant, who seemed torn between sympathy and amusement, he led them into the back of the shop while he called a taxi.

"This is Toshi," the blond told them, indicating another young man sitting at a computer. He had vivid red hair and wore only a leather jacket and tiny black satin thong.

"And I'm Shiro," the blond went on. "But you know that, you've seen my little pink thing."

"Huh?" said Raito.

L nudged him and pointed out Shiro's name card, which was indeed pink.

"Oh, you have a chain!" exclaimed Toshi. "How sweet! Are you married?"

"No, not yet," L answered thoughtlessly.

The silence from where Raito stood was like something solid that L had just banged his head against. The detective could feel a blush starting to form on his cheeks. He wanted to run out of the shop, never mind the sleazy nature of the streets outside. He cast about wildly for something to say or do.

"Uh, nice underwear!" he said to Toshi.

"Oh, you like this?" Toshi struck a pose on his chair to display it better and L immediately wished he'd thought of _anything_ else to comment upon.

"I have one of those here," said Raito, waving one of his bags in the air cheerfully.

"Oh, that's, uh," L muttered, half glancing at his lover, helpless to not imagine him in –

"It's for you," Raito added, wickedly.

L turned and stared at Raito. Opened his mouth to find seven years patient study of the Japanese language had completely deserted him.

"Holy crap!" he said, in English.

"Gotchu!" said Raito, also in English.

"I'm definitely attracted to the idea of spanking you, Light!" L continued in the same language.

"I'm so scared," Raito pretended to shudder.

"I like your accent," L confided. "I'd like you to speak English to me in bed sometime."

"I don't know words like that in English," Raito looked crestfallen.

"Ask your friends," L said. "They must know plenty."

After being waved away from the shop by their two new friends with cries of "come back any time," and suffering the most outraged stare from the taxi driver that he'd ever had from anybody, L leaned back in the front seat of the cab, listening to Raito explaining from the rear how they were looking for an ambulance.

He stared around him at the scenery passing by, this was certainly a very different area from where their headquarters were based. Nobody seemed to be wearing very much clothing and there were more people standing on street corners looking what they seemed to think was inviting than he'd ever seen before anywhere.

Peering down an alley, he could see –

"Are those people having sex down there, Raito-kun?"

"One track mind," Raito murmured. "Oh, yes, so they are!"

They both stared down the alley until the taxi passed it. The cab driver huffed disapprovingly.

"There's another one coming up!" Raito said.

L leaned over, pressing his nose against the window and gazed down the new alley. No sex, but there was –

"Ambulance!" they both yelled, opening their doors. The taxi swerved to a sudden stop and L groped in his pocket for money, Raito added some in, which L dropped as he was holding too much, they both grovelled on the floor looking for it, then threw it at the taxi driver who was yelling something about maniacs.

"Wait, wait, Raito," L pulled on the chain as Raito seemed about to run down the alley. "Reconnaisance first!"

They tucked the bags of sex aids into a doorway, edged up to the corner of the building and looked around. The ambulance was parked skewed across the alley, three laughing young men standing by the passenger side door. As they watched, one of them reached in, rummaged around for a moment and came out with a bulging bag. From which he produced a very familiar looking box. And opened it. And passed it around –

"Strawberries!" L and Raito yelled, and charged down the alley toward the three.

They caught the strawberry holder round the waist with their chain, spun him, strawberries flying up into the air. Thief two turned his face to them and met Raito's fist coming the other way, while thief three was flung back against the ambulance when L's foot connected with his midsection.

"Aaargh!" yelled the first thief, flinging the strawberry box at Raito, shucking off the chain and taking to his heels.

There wasn't much fight left in the other two but L and Raito took great pleasure in beating the rest out of them.

"Strawberries," L muttered breathlessly, looking down at the two prostrate bodies. "Uh – where are the strawberries, Raito?"

Raito picked up the empty box. Looked inside it intently as if strawberries might magically appear.

L put out a foot and rolled over one of the fallen foe. Beneath him, squashed red fruit added an unpleasantly gory aspect to the battlefield.

"Do you suppose we could scrape them up – " he began.

"No!" snapped Raito. "That's just – unhygienic!"

"But, dessert..."

"I'll have to think of something else! Come on, let's go home. And don't forget my vibrators!"

As soon as they arrived back in their suite, Raito hurried into the kitchen, dragging L along behind him.

"What are you doing here?" he enquired, turning round suddenly.

"I'm chained to you, Raito-kun," L said.

"Take it off and go have a shower," said Raito. "This is the first meal I'm cooking for you, Ryuuzaki, and judging by how well it's gone so far, it may be the last! I want it to be a surprise and that won't happen if you're standing there watching me."

"We seem to have had this chain off more often than on today," L protested.

"Please?" said Raito, looking forlorn. "My surprise..."

L rolled his eyes and took the key out of his pocket.

"So you really do know how to cook, Raito-kun?" L remarked as the first course was finished.

"I emailed Jay and he asked Nathan," Raito said, looking pleased.

"Nathan knows how to cook Japanese food?"

"It's his job. He's some kind of ubercook in a big restaurant. He knows how to cook all kinds of things. The tempura was difficult though, it kept splashing oil everywhere."

"I hope you didn't burn yourself, Raito?"

"Not too much. I have to go get on with the dessert. It'll be a few minutes."

"I can't imagine what it could be," L said. He went to sit with his laptop while Raito disappeared into the kitchen. Remembered that they still had an email to watch with sex in it. That should be interesting.

Raito rushed through the room suddenly, heading for the bathroom. L looked up, about to ask him how the dessert was going on, but he'd already left. Then there was the sound of the shower. L shrugged. Maybe the dessert was in the oven and Raito was showering while he waited for it to finish cooking.

He bent over his laptop again, became absorbed in what he was reading. On the screen a red and gold page decorated with rosebuds asked the question "What Is Love?"

"Ryuuzaki?" Raito's voice disturbed the detective's thoughts, for which he was profoundly grateful, having come to some disturbing conclusions about himself and his long dormant emotions.

"Ryuuzaki? Can you come in the bedroom a moment, I think you ought to see this!"

L got up and went to the bedroom door, took a step into the room and stoped in amazement.

Raito lay on the bed, naked. No, not naked. Trails of whipped cream ran from both nipples down his body, meeting somewhere just above his pubes and continuing down to snake up his erect cock, which was also covered with a large helping of chocolate sauce. The solitary strawberry that Raito had hidden earlier was perched on top, wobbling a little as he breathed.

"Dessert!" Raito said, smiling.

"You're my dessert?" L said, pulling off his shirt.

"Me, yes," said Raito. "I couldn't find anything better."

"There is nothing better," L assured him, unfastening his pants. He saw Raito's eyes on him as he undressed, warm, half closed eyes that L knew meant desire. Although why he felt desire for L's scrawny body was beyond the detective's ability to fathom. But it was obvious he did, his breathing was becoming heavier the more clothes L removed, his mouth opening a little, tongue coming out to lick his lips.

"Quick!" Raito commanded. "It's all melting in the heat and running onto the bed!"

"You shouldn't be so hot then, Raito," said L, kicking off his underwear and leaping onto the bed.

"I can't help it," Raito said with a smirk.

"Hot like a volcano," L agreed, bending to lick cream off Raito's nipple.

Raito gasped. "Oh, your tongue!" he murmured. "I love your tongue, Ryuu-chan... I didn't put too much cream on. Because, you know, cholesterol. I don't want you having a heart attack and then blaming me for being Kira."

"You think that's how he does it?" L asked, running his tongue down the sweet, sticky trail of cream along the side of Raito's abdomen.

"What, invites his victims home to lick cream off his cock?" Raito said. "I shouldn't think so. Too many of them. No one has that much stamina. He'd give _himself_ a heart attack."

"You're sticky," L said, moving over to the other side.

"Only on the outside," said Raito.

"Is that a hint?"

"Mmm."

"Is that a yes, Raito?"

"Yes," said Raito. "I want you to make me sticky inside, Ryuu-chan... well, gooey and runny, anyway."

L laughed, and licked up the shaft of Raito's cock, savoring the amazing mingling of tastes, cream, chocolate and best of all, Raito himself overlaid with strawberry shower gel.

"You taste so good," he muttered with his mouth full.

"Better than cake?" Raito teased.

"Hm," L thought about that. "What kind of cake?"

"_Any_ cake!" Raito said, with an edge of annoyance in his voice.

"Better than any cake I've ever had, Raito," said L, hoping that was the right answer.

"I should hope so," said Raito. L glanced at him and saw he looked pleased. Decided that it was best in future to go for the complimentary jugular with no unnecessary qualifications. He opened his mouth and delicately removed the strawberry from Raito's glans, bit it in half and slid up the bed.

"Ks," he mumbled, mouth full of strawberry.

"Kiss?" Raito asked.

L nodded.

Raito smiled and slid his arms around L, pulling him close, their lips meeting, Raito's mouth opening, at which point L pushed half the strawberry into it.

"Ukk!" Raito pulled back, looking alarmed. "Oh! Oh my God, it's a strawberry!"

"Half," said L.

"Fuck, Ryuuzaki, I thought your tongue came off or something!"

"Ugh!" said L. "Raito, that's gross!"

"I can't help what I think of," said Raito, eating the strawberry. "Have you finished with the dessert?"

"Haven't started yet, Raito," said L, reaching for the lube that Raito had put conveniently on the bedside table.

Raito made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a growl, and stared at L, a predatory look on his face.

"Are you going to fuck me now, Ryuuzaki?" he asked, sweetly.

L felt himself beginning to blush, that seemed to be happening a great deal lately.

Raito raised an eyebrow and, still watching L, slowly opened his legs.

"You want me like this, Ryuu-chan?" he asked. "Or some other position?"

"Yes, like that," L said, hurriedly, opening the lube and squeezing some onto his fingers. Now the moment was here, he felt horribly embarrassed and the arousal that had been building while he licked dessert off Raito's body seemed to have vanished altogether.

"What's wrong?" Raito asked, reaching out to gently stroke L's arm.

"I don't know," L confessed. "I wanted to do this – but now – it doesn't seem right, somehow. I don't want to hurt you."

"Why should you hurt me, Ryuuzaki?" Raito took L's hand, pulled him nearer.

"It hurts, Raito," L said, miserably.

"No, it doesn't have to," said Raito, gathering L into his arms, and taking the lube from him. "Here, let me have this, I'll do it and you'll see, it's nice."

"How do you know, Raito? You've never done this."

"I know," Raito said. "I want you. And you're cute and beautiful. And I – I like you. So why wouldn't I like this?"

"I don't quite feel like it now," L confessed.

"I can see that, koibito," Raito murmured. "But you will – come here and kiss me."

L wrapped his arms around Raito and raised his head, feeling Raito's lips gently press against his own, soft kisses that made him relax and lean against his lover, enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed close together, Raito's skin all over him, warm and smooth.

"Mmm, I want you," Raito murmured into his lover's mouth. "I want you inside me, Ryuu-chan. I want us to be joined together. Closer than this. Closer than anything else."

"Raito," L whispered back. "You are so beautiful – I don't want to cause you any pain."

"No, you won't, Ryuuzaki, look, watch me," Raito shuffled up the bed a little and grabbed a pillow. Placed it under himself. Spread his legs, giving L a view that started the blushing all over again.

Raito squeezed lube onto his fingers and slid his hand underneath himself. L watched, hypnotised, as the boy's fingers slid over the soft puckered folds of his entry and then one of them slipped right inside. He looked up, found Raito's eyes on him, half closed, a little glazed.

"Don't you want to do this, Ryuuzaki?" Raito asked. "See, it doesn't hurt me at all."

L made a strangled sound in his throat and grabbed for the lube. Squirted some out. Placed his hand next to Raito's, shuddering as he felt the heat of his lover's body against his fingers.

Raito withdrew his hand and gently took L's.

"Just slide in your finger," he murmured. "It's quite tight, don't worry."

L followed his instructions and found his finger sliding into hot tightness which felt better than he ever could have imagined.

Raito gasped and leaned back, lifting one leg to rest his foot on L's shoulder. L realised that his erection had suddenly and insistently returned.

"Another one," Raito muttered breathlessly.

L slid another finger into his lover, moving them gently in and out, and since that seemed to provoke only moans of pleasure, he added a third without being asked.

"Ohhhh!" Raito gasped. "It's good, Ryuuzaki, it feels so good!"

"You like it," L said, wonderingly. There could be no doubt about it. Raito was pushing himself onto L's fingers, his face flushed and his breath ragged.

"I love it!" Raito said. "I want you to fuck me, please, Ryuu-chan, I really really want you to!"

L picked up the lube again, his eyes fixed on Raito, and squeezed the tube, letting some fall onto his cock, then spreading it over his shaft, over the head. Added some more, to be sure.

He moved toward Raito, still nervous but wanting him.

"Come here!" Raito murmured, wrapping his legs around L and pulling him close. "There, like that, now put your cock in me, I can't wait any longer!"

L leaned forward, over his lover, an electric thrill shooting through his whole body as the head of his cock collided with Raito's body. He felt the boy's hand close around him, guiding him, the softness of Raito's opening, then he pushed forward, feeling his glans suddenly surrounded by tight, pulsing heat.

He groaned, and bucked his hips, driving himself deeper into Raito, lost in the pleasure of being inside his lover, being one with him, his eyes on Raito, watching the boy's face contort into an expression somewhere between pain and pleasure, those beautiful amber eyes fixed on his own, filled with desire.

"Oh, fuck, yes, Ryuu-chan!" Raito moaned. "Give me all of it – I want every inch of you – "

"It's too – " L gasped, as what he felt threatened to overwhelm him, "I can't stop – "

"Yes!" Raito gasped. "It's okay, cum in me now, we can do it again slow!"

Given permission, L let himself go, thrusting hard into his lover's writhing, moaning body, taken over by lust and passion, crying out Raito's name as he came, waves of pleasure that drove him again and again into Raito, spurting his seed deep inside him.

Spent at last, apart from aftershock shudders that shook him from time to time, L looked down at Raito. Found him smiling.

"See, I was right," the boy said. "You liked it."

"You're always right," L agreed.

He let his softening cock fall out of Raito and knelt back to gaze at him.

"You look good like this, Raito," he murmured.

"I do?"

"You look incredible," L elaborated. "You look – "

"Willing?"

"Yes."

"Available?"

"That too."

"Slutty?"

"Very."

"You weren't supposed to agree with that last one, Ryuuzaki!" Raito smiled.

"You look beautiful," L said.

"Are you just going to look at me, Ryuu-chan?" Raito asked.

L grabbed his lover's ankles, spread his legs further apart. "You like it."

"I like you," Raito said, smiling.

"That's not what you said earlier, Raito," said L.

"Huh?"

"Like wasn't the word you used," L explained.

"I don't remember," Raito looked alarmed.

"Yes you do," L disagreed. "That's not something you forget."

Raito said nothing, just turned his head to the side as if he didn't want to take part in the conversation any more. L reached down to the floor and recovered the chain and handcuffs.

"That again?" Raito said with a sigh.

"Just for a while, Raito-kun," L said, snapping one of the cuffs onto Raito's wrist. He bent and swept the boy up until he was kneeling, then wrapped the chain around him and clipped the second cuff to his other wrist.

"What are you doing?" Raito demanded. "Ryuuzaki – "

"Can you move your arms?" L asked.

"Not much, no!"

"Good," said L, swivelling Raito around to face away from him. He reached around and grasped the boy's half erect cock in his hand, stroking it gently.

"Nnnnn!" Raito murmured. L found himself becoming hard again, the sight of his helpless lover arousing him. He reached for the lube and began to coat his stiffening dick with it.

"I don't need it," Raito was looking over his shoulder, watching L. "I'm full of your natural lube."

"Before long," L told him, "You're going to be overflowing."

"Mmmm," Raito smiled and snuggled against L as the detective pressed up close behind him.

L brushed aside the hair from the back of Raito's neck and bent to kiss it, making the boy moan.

"Oh, I like that, Ryuu-chan!" he exclaimed.

"Like this?" L ran his teeth gently over the skin just below Raito's hairline, provoking more moans and gasps. The sounds had the effect on him that he'd hoped for, he was now as hard as a rock and slid his hands down to Raito's hips, holding him tight, ramming his cock hard between the firm round cheeks of Raito's ass.

Raito cried out at the sudden intrusion, then seemed to decide he liked it, pushing himself back onto his lover, the chain clanking around him as he moved.

L clasped Raito's hips firmly, working his way inside the boy's eager body, then slid one hand round to grasp Raito's cock, his hand gently slipping over the taut smooth skin, squeezing and pulling at it.

"Oh, God, yes!" Raito moaned. "Touch me! Do me! Fuck me!"

L ran his fingers up and down Raito's stiff dick, teasing it, taking the head of it into his hand and gently rubbing the precum that oozed from his piss slit all over his glans, down the shaft, his hand sliding easily over the boy's rigid member. He thrust his cock hard into his lover's body, finding his prostate, making the boy shudder and cry out.

"Urrrrr!" Raito groaned. "Oh, Ryuu-chan, I'm – "

L stopped moving, took his hand away.

"Uh?" said Raito. "Don't stop!"

"Tell me," L whispered into his ear.

"What? What? Tell you what, Ryuu-chan?"

"Tell me what it is you feel," L murmured.

"Frustrated, Ryuuzaki!" Raito said. "Why did you stop? I was about to cum and you stopped!"

"I know what I did," L said, running his tongue along the back of Raito's ear. "Tell me."

"Tell you for God's sake _what!"_ Raito demanded.

"That you don't just like me, Raito," L said, before going back to work on the back of Raito's neck, licking and sucking at his perfect skin.

"Uhhhh! No!" Raito moaned. "Don't leave me like this, I'm burning up here!"

L pulled out of Raito's body, nearly all the way, then pushed deeply back into him. Repeated it, his thick cock angled to press against Raito's prostate with each thrust. He reached around and reclaimed the boy's dick, pumping his hand around the hard, hot pole.

"Oh, yes!" Raito exclaimed. "Yes, yes, _yes!" _ He writhed sensuously on L's cock, squeezing him inside the warm, wet heat of his body, making the detective nearly lose control. Time to stop again.

"What _now!"_ Raito wailed. "What are you _doing_ to me!"

"I'm waiting," L murmured, kissing Raito's shoulders, licking down his back.

"Waiting for what?"

"Tell me," L insisted.

"Ah, Ryuuzaki, I can't, you want to kill me!" Raito turned his head, looking into his lover's eyes and L was shocked to see the pain in the boy's.

"No," the detective said. "I don't."

"But you will, oh, fuck it, if I'm dead I won't care about it anyway, yes, I love you!"

"You really do?" L wanted to be sure. It seemed so unbelievable.

Raito sighed and leaned his head back against his lover.

"I love you," he said. "More than anything. More than my own life."

"You can leave your life in my hands, Raito," L told him. "I have a plan for saving it."

"But you want to be right..." Raito murmured.

"And I want you more," L said, as he started to move inside Raito's body again. He reached back, grabbed his pants from the end of the bed and fished the handcuff key out of the pocket. Unlocked the cuffs from Raito's wrists and released him.

Raito sighed and reached back, clasping his lover, pulling him closer.

L groaned and let himself be swept away by the overwhelming need for release that was building inside him, thrusting hard into his Raito, surrounded by him, his deep, hot, tight wetness.

He clasped Raito's cock in his hand, pumping it, and this time didn't stop, driving the boy to a moaning, shuddering orgasm as he released his seed all over his lover's hand, spurting up onto his own chest and stomach.

L sank his teeth into the back of Raito's neck and drove deep into him, feeling the hot spurts of cum shooting from his cock into his lover's beautiful body, filling him with it, his arms around him, holding him tight as if he'd never again let go.

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"Should I move? Am I too heavy?"

"Don't be silly, Ryuu-chan, you hardly weigh anything."

"But are you comfortable, Raito, on your face like that?"

"Never more so."

"Tell me again."

"I love you, Mr Sweetness."

"I'm not sweet."

"You are to me."

"Hmmm... you're special to me."

"Mm?"

"That's why I want to be sweet to you."

"Good."

"I'm not like that with other people."

"I know."

"Do you think I should be nicer to people?"

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a fuck."

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

_A/N: True Love – priceless. For everything else, there's Mastercard XD_

_The google searches are all real ones I did myself XD_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Lemons! Getchor luverly lemons, cheap today! Actually, nothing cheap, if you want cheap guys we'll have to send L & R back to the adult shop... on the menu today, a tasty, squishy lemon pie with a semi-solid topping of nonsense meringue. Semi-solid, yeah, that's the way I cook, the damn thing will never set. XD_

_DISCLAIMER: The story is mine, Death Note and all that pertains to the aforesaid are not XD_

_SPOILERS: Same as last chapter_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

"Ryuuzaki!"

L stirred, buried his head in his pillow, tried to pretend he was still dreaming.

"Ryuuzaki, it's dark!"

"That means you should be asleep, Raito-kun," the detective mumbled.

"No, I mean there's no light from the clock or anything! The power's off."

A cacaphony suddenly erupted from the bedside table, Kylie Minogue and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, joined in unholy union.

"Urgh," L said, sitting up and groping for his mobile. "Moshi moshi – what? Who? Raito, this is your phone, it's your father – "

"I have Matsuda, for you," Raito said, exchanging phones with his lover.

"Quick, we need to get downstairs." L said, breaking the phone connection. "The generator should have kicked in, I'll have to check it. The elevators aren't working."

"The parking lot doors won't open," Raito added. "My father's stuck. I'll go make sure all the computers are off, if you want. It could damage them if they get a sudden power surge."

L hurried out of bed, grabbing for his pants and shirt from last night.

"What about the chain?" Raito asked, fumbling his clothes on. "Damn, I really need to work out... I've put weight on..."

"I've got the chain," said L, pushing it into his pants pocket. "We'll put it on downstairs, too much risk of an accident stumbling around in the dark with it."

L was halfway down the stairs to the basement when the lights came on.

"Is that you, Ryuuzaki?" he heard from below. Watari's voice.

"Yes, Watari, is everything all right down there?"

"All working now," said Watari.

"Good," L said, turning around. "I'd better go, I have Raito running around loose."

He ran back upstairs, nearly colliding with Matsuda as the young detective came out of the elevator.

"Morning, Matsuda-san."

"Good morning, Ryuuzaki!" the young detective smiled, then suddenly looked puzzled.

"Glad to see you're here early," L said, leading the way into the operations room.

"That's a new look for you, Ryuu – " Matsuda fell silent as Raito turned around from his position under L's desk.

"I'm just putting them all back on again – " he began. Then stopped, eyes bugging out.

"That's so sweet!" Matsuda practically cooed. "Would you guys like some coffee?"

L didn't answer. Just stared at Raito, who was standing up, rather awkwardly as if his pants were a size too small for him. Which they were, not actually being _his_ pants.

"You're wearing my clothes, Ryuuzaki!" Raito accused.

"Raito-kun is wearing _my _ clothes, actually," said L, looking down at his newly preppy self and wondering if he looked half as good as Raito did in that baggy white sweatshirt.

Raito shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Chain, quick!" he said. "My father'll be here in a moment."

L fished in his pants – in Raito's pants pocket and brought it out.

"You put that in my _pocket?"_ Raito protested as L snapped the chain onto his wrist. "You'll ruin those pants! Have you any idea how much they cost?"

"Raito-kun spends far too much money on clothes," L said. "There is no need to buy expensive items of clothing when cheap ones do exactly the same job."

"Says you, Mr Baggy," Raito muttered, going back to his desk.

L sighed and hoisted himself onto his chair, waiting for his computer to start up. It wasn't comfortable sitting in his usual position wearing Raito's tight pants, and something was poking him. He fished around in the back pocket and brought out a comb. Something else in there too – it turned out to be a small mirror in a case.

L smirked and opened the mirror. Began to comb his hair.

"What the hell are you doing with my comb, Ryuuzaki?" Raito sounded severely pissed off.

Interesting, L thought. He doesn't mind sharing his toothbrush but draws the line at his comb.

"I'm wondering what it's like to be you, Raito-kun," the detective said.

"Oh, really!" Raito snapped. "Well, maybe I'm wondering what it's like to be you!"

He stood up from his chair and raised one foot.

"You shouldn't – " L began, but too late, Raito had his foot on the chair and had lifted the other one. The chair promptly shot across the room under his weight, carrying the unfortunate teenager with it.

"Aargh!" he yelled.

"Aaargh!" L joined in as the chain snapped taut, dragging him after Raito. He fought to retain balance, the chair bounced off the wall, tipping Raito to the floor and skated back to sweep the detective's legs from under him.

"Ummmph!" Raito cried as L landed on top of him.

"Sitting in that position on a chair with wheels," L said, breathlessly, "Is an acquired skill, Raito-kun."

"So I've found," Raito agreed, taking the opportunity to slide his hands down his lover's body and grope his butt.

"Are you boys fighting again?"

L looked up, saw Yagami Souchiro looking puzzled in the doorway.

"No!" the detective said, scrambling to his feet. He grabbed Raito's hand and pulled him up. "We were just – "

"I fell off my chair!" said Raito.

"And then I fell for – " L began. No, that didn't sound right –

"He fell into – " Raito began.

"I fell onto Yagami-kun," L explained. "Because, the cuffs – "

They both held up their ends of the chain to show Yagami, then realised they were still holding hands and snatched them away.

"Why are you wearing each other's clothes?" Yagami asked, his expression unreadable.

"Because the power was out, Yagami-san," L said. "We got dressed in the dark."

Yagami nodded, shook his head and went to take off his coat.

"That didn't sound very believable," said Raito.

"But it's the truth," L protested.

"I'm just saying it didn't sound that way," said Raito, going back to his desk. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. He's bound to find out eventually. It's just I would prefer to tell him at a peaceful moment. When he's in a good mood."

L sighed, thinking this was probably the only time in his life he'd thought himself lucky not to have parents. At least Watari wasn't going to complain if his sex life – well, if he suddenly turned out to have a sex life. Of any nature. Raito, on the other hand, was probably in for a world of questions and recriminations.

Well, time for work. He thanked Matsuda, who'd brought coffee and started back on the files. Hopefully they'd soon get a lead on who the third Kira might be, when they managed to break into the security systems at Yotsuba.

Raito's shirt smelled of him. Mmm, Raito smell. L pulled up the v-neck over his nose and inhaled, just as Raito's father came back into the room and gave him a very odd look.

Work! L told himself severely and diligently applied himself to the files for the next couple of hours, refusing to be distracted by the ubiquitous Raito scent that surrounded him.

Tight pants were a liability, he reflected when they next had a break. They clung around parts that should be forgotten during working time and caused thoughts of activities that didn't need thinking about when there were other people around. Especially Raito's father.

L had been hoping for sex this morning. So far he'd only been intimate with someone three times in his life, all in the last couple of days, and he thought he had a lot of lost time to make up. Damn the power company! Ruining his love life!

He turned to his computer and sent an email.

"This shirt's so big, Ryuuzaki," Raito said, peering down the neck of it and inadvertantly slopping coffee down himself. "Why is your shirt so much bigger than mine when you're thinner than me?"

"I like plenty of room for movement, Raito-kun," L explained.

"You could move a whole family into here and still have room," Raito said, pulling the neck up over his face and doing the sniffing thing.

"You have mail," L told him.

"I do? How do you know?" Raito said, taking a mouthful of coffee and opening his email program.

"Oops," L murmured as coffee sprayed across Raito's monitor when he choked, slamming his cup down on the desk, more coffee fountaining out of it.

"Something wrong over there, Yagami-kun?" Matsuda called across.

"No!" Raito said, jumping to his feet and wiping the sleeve of L's shirt across the screen. L grinned to himself. It was worth getting his shirt covered with coffee –

"Is there some problem here?" Raito's father said from right behind them.

L dived for Raito's mouse just as the boy did the same, their hands entangled and swept mouse and coffee cup to the floor where the cup smashed, spraying hot liquid over both of them. Yagami senior took a step back and looked down at the mess, and L had no idea if he'd caught sight of Raito's monitor screen where a message in large bold letters stated

I WANT SEX 

L reached across and turned off the monitor.

"You two are behaving very childishly today," Raito's father reproved them.

"Sorry, dad," said Raito, crouching down to pick up the pieces of broken coffee cup.

"Don't be so hard on them, chief!" Matsuda jumped in. "They're young – and Yagami-kun's just been in a cell for weeks! Ryuuzaki works all day and half the night, no wonder if they both get a bit giddy from time to time!"

"I suppose so," Yagami Souchiro looked thoughtful. "Maybe you should both get out somewhere. Play tennis. Go for a drink."

"A date?" L wondered.

"Ouch!"

L looked down and saw a drop of blood falling from Raito's finger, staining the white shard of pottery in his hand.

"You cut yourself, Raito-kun," he murmured. "Here, let me – " he sat down beside Raito, bent and took Raito's hand, applying his lips to the small wound.

"Urm..." Raito muttered.

"I like the taste of your blood, Raito-kun," L raised his head, smiling. Noticed that Raito's father wasn't smiling, instead he had a look of horror on his face and was noticeably paler. "I'm not a vampire, Yagami-san," L attempted to reassure him. "This is the first human blood I've ever consumed."

"It's not your being a _vampire_ that worries me, Ryuuzaki!" Yagami snapped. "Anyway, I suggest you two don't work too late tonight and – and get out in the fresh air or something."

He walked away, shaking his head.

"Is he angry with me, Raito?" L murmured.

"I think he's possibly confused, Ryuuzaki," Raito said. "So where do you want to go?"

"The restroom?" L suggested.

"Pardon?" Raito stared at his lover.

"We could have sex in the restroom, Raito," L said. "I've heard that a lot of people do that all the time."

"I'm not having sex in a _restroom_, Ryuuzaki!" Raito said. "How gross! And I was talking about where we would go out, not where we'd have sex!"

"Anywhere you like, Raito, I need sex before I can think about that."

"Ryuuzaki, you're an animal!" Raito said, admiringly.

"It's your pants, they're too tight, Raito," L hissed. "I can't think about anything else!"

"No restrooms," said Raito, firmly. "Not ones that other people use, anyway."

"Then how about the storage room?" L suggested. "We can say we're going to get some printer paper."

"There's no lock on the door," Raito whispered back.

"We can put some boxes in front of it."

"We have no lube or anything."

"I brought it with me."

"You had this planned, Ryuuzaki?"

"I was hoping there would be an opportunity."

"Printer paper," said Raito, thoughtfully.

"Don't you want to, Raito?" L murmured, peering into his lover's face.

"Honestly, Ryuuzaki, you look at me with those cute eyes and think I'll do anything you ask me," Raito said with a smile.

"So will you?"

Raito stood up.

"Dad, we need to get some paper for the printers," he called across to his father.

Yagami Souchiro just waved a hand, not looking up from his work.

The storage room was dark with the door closed. Raito reached for the light but before he could switch it on, L grabbed him, holding him tight, kissing him, hungry for his lover's lips.

Raito groaned, wrapped his arms around L's waist, pulled him close. L sighed into the boy's mouth, feeling the hardness of Raito's erection pressing against him, matching his own.

"Raito-kun has also been considering sex," L murmured.

"I can't help that," Raito said. "You're sitting next to me all day, what else would I be thinking about?"

"You think about me all the time?"

"Mmm... not always consciously thinking, but I'm always aware of you," Raito smiled and slipped his hand down between them, groping L through his clothes.

"Uuuuh!" L pushed his lover back against the wall, reached down to unfasten the boy's pants. "I want these back!" he said as he slid them down over Raito's hips.

"Won't it look odd if we come back with each other's pants on?"

"We already have each other's pants on. And if I don't get out of yours, we'll be back in here in an hour! They make me horny!"

"Maybe you should keep them on," Raito said, dropping to his knees and pulling L's zipper down.

"If we fuck too much in working time, someone's bound to notice," L said breathlessly, then moaned as Raito's mouth encircled his swollen cock head.

L kicked off the annoying pants and leaned over Raito, resting his arms against the wall, lost in lust, watching his lover. Raito's mouth was warm and wet around his glans, his tongue flicking over it, pausing every so often to kiss.

"Mmm," Raito murmured, his lips encircling L's stiff pole then tilting his head back, pulling the detective's dick deep into his mouth. L groaned and pushed himself into Raito's throat, watching the boy suck him, taking in almost his whole length.

"Lube," L muttered, "It's in my pocket. Your pocket."

"Everything in my pocket," Raito complained, half laughing as he released L. "You have no idea how to treat clothes..."

"Never mind that, lube, quick!" L said, feeling almost on the edge of orgasm from the sucking Raito had given his tormented cock.

"Impatient," Raito handed the lube up to L who reached down, grabbing his lover by the hair and pulling him up.

"Ow, Ryuuzaki!" Raito exclaimed. "What are you – "

He fell silent as he was pushed, face up, onto a pile of boxes. L grabbed his lover's ankles, spreading him, then squeezed lube onto his fingers.

"Desperate Ryuuzaki," Raito looked up at the detective, eyes half closed, lustful desirous eyes.

"Absolutely, Raito-kun," L agreed, bending down to lube up the boy's entry, pushing his fingers in roughly, working him loose.

Raito groaned and flung his head back, his legs wrapping around L's slim hips, urging him forward. "I like you desperate, Ryuuzaki, do me, quick!"

L lifted his lover's legs over his shoulders and leaned over him, gasping as his swollen glans made contact with Raito's slippery flesh.

"Put me in!" he said, his breath hissing out in pleasure as Raito reached down, grabbing L's thick, engorged cock, guiding it.

"So tight..." L muttered, thrusting his hips forward, his cock demanding entry, pushing into the thick ring of tight sensitive muscle, stretching his lover open, plunging deep into him, enclosed in hot, slippery pressure.

Raito cried out, arched his back, tossing his head, his disordered dark-blond hair whipping from side to side.

"More!" he demanded, reaching up and grasping handfuls of L's shirt, tugging at him. "Do me hard, Ryuu-chan, fuck me!"

L growled, grabbed at the chain that joined them and swept it around the boy's legs, pulling them back, pinning them to his chest. Raito's hips tilted up toward him and L drove himself into his lover's body, long hard strokes, Raito moaning and gasping, digging his nails into L's arms, his face flushed and sweaty.

"Aaaah, yes, Ryuu, give it to me," the boy gasped. "Take me! Hurt me!"

L yelled in pleasure as he felt his balls tighten, the unstoppable feeling of release sweeping over him, his hips thrusting forward as he buried his jerking cock in his lover, his seed spurting deep into Raito's tight hot ass, his mind swept away in ecstasy.

L came to himself to find he was half-lying on Raito, who was stroking his hair and muttering something.

"Beautiful," he made out. "Wild, beautiful... my tengu..."

"Tengu?" L managed, feeling as if he'd blown his brains out of his cock instead of cum.

"Mine," Raito murmured. "Incredible... blow me."

"Hmm?" L shifted and found Raito's cock under him, still stiff.

"Damn," the detective said ruefully. "I wanted to make you – "

"Stop talking," Raito commanded. "Start sucking."

"I thought I was the Master here," L grumbled, bending down.

"I just let you think that," Raito said, laughter in his voice.

L shrugged and swiped his tongue over the head of Raito's dick, rewarded by a gasp of pleasure from the boy. The detective smiled to himself and continued lapping at the swollen head, tasting precum, licking around the small round piss-slit then dipping the point of his tongue inside.

"Ohhhh!" Raito murmured, bucking his hips upward toward his lover's face.

L took the hint, opened his mouth and let Raito's hard cock slide between his lips.

"Oooh, yes, no!" Raito said, incoherently. "Let me up!"

"Up?" L withdrew his mouth, looked questioningly at his lover.

"I'll stand up and you can swallow it," Raito explained. "I've seen it on the internet!"

"I've seen a lot of things on the internet that are unbelievable or downright impossible, Raito-kun!" said L.

"You've eaten plenty of bananas, Ryuuzaki, it's just the same!" Raito insisted.

"I really don't imagine that it is," said L, unwinding the chain from around Raito so he could get to his feet.

"Now suck it!" Raito said, his cock waving eagerly in L's face. "Come on, don't be scared of it! It's not _that_ big like yours is!"

L was of the opinion that it looked big enough to choke on, but kept that to himself. Wrapped his arms around Raito's hips and gently enclosed the head of his lover's cock in his lips, sucking on it, teasing it with his tongue. He felt Raito's hands twine into his hair, pulling at him, urging him forward. Let the stiff shaft slide into his mouth. He tilted his head back, feeling nervous but allowing the penetration, Raito shifting his position to stand directly over his lover.

L clenched his lips around Raito's cock, feeling it thrusting deeper, Raito tugging hard on his hair, his butt muscles clenching as he fucked his lover's mouth, pumping his dick hard into its warm, wet depth.

"It's good," the boy murmured, "Your mouth, Ryuu-chan, I love your mouth... take it all, suck it in, swallow it, hell, yes!"

L leaned further back, tried to relax, accepting the intrusion as Raito's hard dick was propelled down into his throat, hot and slippery, making him want to gag. He resisted the urge and lifted his head upwards instead, sucking the wet shaft into his mouth right to the base, feeling the head against the back of his throat and swallowing, giving into it, letting it fill him.

"Aaah! Yes! Fuck, Ryuu, yes, take it!" Raito thrust his hips forward, L could feel his glans swelling, his shaft jerking as hot streams of cum burst out of it, swirling down the detective's throat, filling his mouth with warm, sticky wetness, forcing him to swallow it all.

Raito, finished, pulled himself free and collapsed to the floor, wrapping his arms around L and pulling him close.

"My wonderful lover," he murmured into L's ear, then kissed it. Ran his tongue down the line of L's jaw, lifted his head to plant kisses all over his face.

"You taste good," L said, turning to capture his lover's lips, soft pressure, opening, tongues meeting. He realised that he was getting aroused all over again and reluctantly pulled away.

"We should go back to work, Raito," he said.

"Urgh, I could go again, Ryuuzaki," Raito confessed with a smile.

"Tempting," L said. "But – "

"I know, I know," Raito got to his feet. "Kira's killing people while we're fucking in the closet."

"Interesting turn of phrase," L said, retrieving his pants. His own pants.

"You want me to tell people about us?" Raito said with a questioning look.

"Not yet," L said. "When you're ready."

"I don't really care who knows," Raito said. "I'm not ashamed of it. Of you. Quite the opposite. It's just – this thing with Misa. If she found out, we'd all be in hell. And we can't let her leave and probably start talking about the investigation."

"We can't keep her prisoner either," said L. "Not again. She's in the public eye, it'd raise too many questions now that we're not officially working with the police."

"So we need to leave things as they are, for now," Raito said, pulling on his pants. "Just until this is over. I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all, Raito-kun," said the detective, thoughtfully.

They left the room, remembered they had originally gone for printer paper and went back for it. Returned to their desks. Yagami Souchiro looked across, his eyes travelling down and obviously noticing that they were wearing different pants, but he refrained from saying anything.

L ate cake, recovered his composure. Smiled across at Raito. Turned back to his computer, started work. Or appeared to. In actuality, his mind was busy with something quite different from the case.

He thought back to Raito's declarations of love, last night. The first time, mentioned in the heat of an argument, as if by accident. The second time, a forced confession, reluctantly given. It had been – it had been sweet, enticing, arousing. Could have been a gift he never thought his life would contain. Except that he didn't believe a word of it.

He considered the possibilities and the steps he'd already taken to confirm or refute their veracity. Firstly, that Raito was suffering the attachment that prisoners often feel toward their captors, brought about by dependency and fear, a regression to a kind of childlike state. It didn't seem likely. Raito was the kind of person who'd probably react to confinement with hatred rather than love. But nevertheless, L had decided to dispel any reactions of that kind as much as he was able. His statement that he didn't think the boy was Kira would have given Raito less reason to feel he depended on L's goodwill for his continued existence and well being.

Also, L had dropped the hint that he was only keeping them cuffed together in order that they could spend more time with each other, so that Raito wouldn't have to go home every night. In Raito's mind, they would now not be captor and victim, but co-conspirators. So if that was his reason for having feelings he had mistakenly described as love, they would no doubt soon wear off.

The next possibility was that Raito remembered he had been Kira. Was trying to bond L to him in a relationship so intense that the detective would never be able to arrest his lover. Would have no wish to. Raito was certainly manipulative enough to set up this scenario.

Nevertheless, L didn't like that theory much either. Raito's behaviour, his body language, his speech patterns and his lack of explanations for things he didn't remember – they didn't add up to someone who was hiding secret knowledge of himself as a killer. L believed Raito when he said he didn't remember being Kira. The change in his whole persona was too extreme to believe otherwise. Of course, he could be seeking to engender closeness between them just in case he had ever been Kira and L felt obliged to include this option because of that.

And there was also the chance that the boy actually believed himself to be in love with the detective. Looking back over Raito's history, his years at school, the achievements he'd made and more importantly, his relationships with others, L had to come to the conclusion that the boy had been in a state of low grade depression for some time. He simply had nobody to talk to. Nobody that could match up to him. No equals. And it was unnatural for anyone to live in loneliness like that. It was particularly damaging for someone with the emotional sensitivity that often goes along with extremely high intelligence. It was quite reasonable to suppose that Raito was mistakenly feeling himself to be in love when what he was actually feeling was gratitude for a level of companionship he hadn't experienced before.

L had originally decided he liked that idea the best of all of them. And he had been sure that Raito would soon begin to disentangle his feelings when confronted by the reality of being in a stable homosexual relationship with L and what that would mean to his life, how it would be changed, how other people would react to the situation.

L had already started testing this theory, although he felt a pang of guilt at the thought of Yagami Souchiro's face when L had hinted that he wanted to go on a date with his son – and then started licking blood off his hand. He had already estimated that it had been at least a sixty-seven per cent chance that Raito, hearing his lover mention a date to his father, would slip and cut himself.

L hadn't thought that if Raito's feelings were merely gratitude or deep friendship, they would stand up to the pressure his family would put on him when they realised he was gay and not only that, but having a relationship with probably the most eccentric person they could ever wish not to meet. But now he was having to think again after Raito's declaration that he was quite willing to tell anyone and everyone about their relationship. He'd implied that he was proud of it, happy with it. He'd obviously thought it through at some point and come to the conclusion that he was ready to come out to his family and friends.

Of course, there was the remotest chance that what Raito said was nothing but the truth. L knew that it was next to impossible – he had neither the looks nor the personality to make him attractive to another and he was aware that most people considered his personal habits laughable. But still...Raito was self absorbed... but he had made dinner for his Ryuuzaki. And found the link to the new Kira that had brought L out of his depression. And he had been sweet and helpful about L's nervousness over sex. And come to him when he'd had a nightmare. Lent L his toothbrush. Cuddled him when he was suffering pillow deprivation. Joined in enthusiastically with L's admittedly rather odd ideas on sexual activity. These weren't the actions of someone as selfish and up himself as Raito normally was. He was capable of being pleasant and kind but usually in circumstances where he would put himself at a disadvantage if he wasn't.

So there was a small potential for his statement of love to be honest. But so small, L considered, that it was hardly worth considering. Which was a shame. No, more than a shame. It was heart-breaking. Because, while Raito might have any number of reasons for declaring himself to be in love with L, the detective, should he wish to make a similar statement, would have only one. That it was the plain and painful truth.

"Can I use your phone to call England, Ryuuzaki?" Raito's voice interrupted the detective's uncomfortable considerations.

"What's wrong with yours, Raito?" L asked.

"Nothing, but I can't afford it," Raito said.

"Certainly," said L, passing it over. "Are you calling Jason?"

"Nathan," said Raito, glancing at his screen and dialling a number from an email there. "I need cookery advice."

"Raito-kun is becoming very domesticated," L commented.

"Raito-kun has a boyfriend who doesn't like to eat properly," Raito said, then switched to English. "Hello? Nathan? It's Light – I don't know what is a sharrot? What is that? Sha-lott... Hai. Sugoi...wakarimas'ta... I understand you. And when I have the onion, where do I put this?"

L smiled to himself. He was a boyfriend. And not just anybody's boyfriend, but Raito's. It was – it was amazing. Incredible. And he was looking for all the flaws in it... maybe he should leave well alone and just go with it. But it was his nature to pick at things, question them, take them apart to see how they worked. Should he attempt to change himself? If Raito discovered the detective's schemes to prove himself unloved, there would be trouble. Possibly terminal trouble, the boy would be hurt that L, once again, refused to believe him over something so important.

Perhaps change would be a good idea – before his attempts to dissect the situation left him with something he could never put together again...

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

_A/N: Once again with the Japanese, Light – he's saying, yes, great, I understand. On the phone._


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Wasabi is the devil. My nose has NO lining in it now XD 

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Death Note or its characters, I merely apply what I consider to be improvements to them. I don't own wasabi either apart from this one hellish tube. Like L, I love it even though it's evil XD_

_The quote on the summary is from Richard and Linda Thompson, I Want to See the Bright Lights._

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO _

L stared down at the dinner table.

"It's English food, Ryuuzaki," Raito said. "I thought you'd like it. We should eat before we go out, it's bad for you to drink alcohol on an empty stomach."

"Yes, I know, Raito-kun," L murmured, wondering how to tell Raito –

"What's wrong with it?" Raito said.

"Wrong?" said L. "Nothing, Raito-kun, it looks delicious. Apart from one thing."

"What _thing?"_

"Um, you're supposed to take the potatoes _out_ of the water before you serve them."

"Oh. No wonder it seemed so horrible!" Raito grabbed the serving dish. "No harm done, I can drain them now."

"Thank you," said L, quietly contemplating the advisability of substituting wasabi for English mustard. "Are you sure about this expedition tonight?"

"Don't start that again, Ryuuzaki!" came from the kitchen. "Even my father told us to go out!"

"He told us to go out and get some fresh air, Raito-kun. Not to go out merely to go _in_ somewhere else and spend the evening surrounded by cigarette smoke and alcohol fumes."

"You'll love it!" said Raito, ignoring the evidence. "I called that shop and asked the guys there where we should go out."

"I'm not sure I want to go anywhere they'd recommend," L protested as his lover breezed back in with a dish of potatoes that actually looked edible.

"Well, I asked them for somewhere _we'd_ like to go, Ryuuzaki, not somewhere _they'd_ like to go," said Raito, spooning potatoes onto L's plate. "These are incredibly _white_, aren't they? Anyway, they're meeting us there, so we'll already know somebody."

"We're going out with two half-naked men?" L was appalled.

"I'm sure they'll have some clothes on tonight," Raito said.

"And talking of clothes, those jeans you had Watari buy me are far too tight," L complained. "I like to be able to move in my clothing."

"You obviously haven't been exposed to the wonders of lycra."

"Lycra?"

"They stretch. You can move as much as you like." said Raito. "You can dance in them and everything."

"L does not dance," said L.

"Then it's about time L started," said Raito. "Now stop being so damn _difficult_ about everything and hurry up with your dinner. You still have to get dressed and I have to disguise you."

"I wish you'd tell me what you mean by that," L said, dubiously.

"You'll like it." Raito assured him.

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"Aaaargh!" said L, recoiling from the mirror.

"What's wrong?" said Raito, looking offended. "You look wonderful, Ryuuzaki! Very goth."

"Is it really necessary for me to wear so much – make up?"

"It's just a bit of eyeliner!"

"It's half a mile of eyeliner, Raito-kun! And why is my hair full of silver glitter?"

"It's pretty!"

"You want me to look _pretty?"_ L asked.

"Um, no" Raito gave his lover a nervous glance. "It's, uh, macho glitter. Shards of broken glass and wire, stuff like that. It's too late to change it now anyway, we need to be going."

"But Raito-kun has spent so long playing dolls with me that he is not dressed," said L, rather maliciously.

"Shit, I knew I forgot something!" said Raito in alarm, whisking off into the bedroom.

He returned some time later dressed in white. White shirt, white pants, white shoes and a liberal application of the silver glitter that L had spent the intervening time trying to brush out of his hair. With no success.

L looked at Raito. Looked down at his own black jeans, black t-shirt, black leather jacket.

"Is there something symbolic going on here, Raito-kun?" he enquired.

"Only if you want to see it, Ryuuzaki," said Raito sweetly.

"I'm the bad guy?" L said. "I think _you_ should – "

"I just thought it'd look good," said Raito, hastily. "Now let's go for God's sake, it'll be time to come home before we get there!"

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

As Watari drove away, after giving L a look that distinctly said are you sure you know what you're doing, L looked around him with dismay. It was crowded. The street outside the club was full of people glad-ragged and gleaming, and it looked like most of them were heading for the same destination as L and Raito.

"Busy," said Raito, looking around him with interest. "Let's go in."

L took a deep breath. Told himself it was normal to be cautious in an unfamiliar situation. Looked at the bustle of people with dismay.

"What's wrong, Ryuuzaki?" Raito had turned around, noticing his lover had not moved.

"Ryuga," said L. "Call me Ryuga here. And you're Light."

"Yes, I know, but what's the matter? Don't you want to do this?" Raito took L's arm, an expression of concern on his face. "You don't have to worry. I'll take care of you."

"L does not need _protection_ from anything, Yagami-kun!" L hissed in Raito's ear.

"Then why is L looking so damn nervous!" Raito whispered back.

L drew himself up to his full height and walked into the club. Making sure he didn't walk too fast. Independence was one thing, but losing Raito and being alone in the crowd was a horror not to be considered.

"You're here!" L turned to see Shiro and Toshi rushing toward them before they both enveloped Raito in an enthusiastic hug. Despite Raito's assurances, L noticed that the boys seemed to be wearing even less than the last time he saw them. And Raito's hands were touching naked skin – L found himself very uncomfortable with that idea.

"This is Tristan!" said Shiro, dragging a young man toward them. "He's our seme!"

L raised his eyebrows in surprise, taking in Tristan's appearance, tall, thin, Caucasian, bespectacled, his blond hair cut anyhow and – zits? He couldn't imagine a more unlikely boyfriend for the colorful pair – wait a minute –

"You only have one boyfriend between you?" he asked.

"He's all we need!" said Shiro, groping Tristan quite obviously. "He's like a wild animal, aren't you honey?"

"I'm a stampeding rhinoceros," Tristan agreed cheerfully. "Pleased to meet you, uh – "

"Light," said Raito. "This is Ryuga. My boyfriend."

"You're Japanese?" Tristan gave L a questioning look. "You don't look it."

"Partly," said L. "A small part."

"Not like Tristan!" said Toshi, grabbing his seme and joining in the gropefest.

"How about you?" said Raito. "You're not Japanese?"

"He's American," said Shiro. "From New York City. We're going to go visit him there!"

"What brings you to Tokyo, Tristan-san?" L enquired.

"I'm a writer," said Tristan. "Mysteries – I'm writing a book set in Tokyo."

"With a murderer!" said Toshi. "Like Kira!"

"Not like Kira," said Tristan, reprovingly. "Mine's not so indiscriminate."

"You don't approve of Kira?" L said.

"Just because I write about murder doesn't mean I think it's a good idea, Ryuga-san," the American said with a smile. "In my opinion, Kira's nothing more than an overblown vigilante. He flouts the judicial system, making excuses that he's helping improve the world, but his real motivation seems to be self-aggrandizement."

"You see him as being someone who craves power, then?" L asked.

"I feel that perhaps he's a person who has little power in his own life," said Tristan. "He's somehow become able to influence the lives and behaviour of a great number of people and it's gone to his head. I think he's probably mentally unstable. And very childish, to be able to delude himself that he's working for the good of humanity when in fact what he's doing is wiping out a large portion of it. How about you, Ryuga-san, what do you think of Kira?"

"I have a very similar view of him," said L, then caught sight of Raito's expression. "Perhaps not so extreme."

"Where are you from, Ryuga-san?" Tristan asked, with a smile.

"I have a house in Ireland," said L. "Just outside Dublin."

"Not too far outside, I hope," said Tristan. "My uncle lives over there, in Dun Laoghaire?"

L nodded.

"The roads are terrible," Tristan went on. "Visiting him plays hell with my suspension. And the drivers are even worse. Worse than New York drivers, which is saying something."

"I generally take the DART if I have to go outside the city," L said.

"Yeah, that's one thing about Dublin, great public transport," Tristan said. "You have the DART for rail and plenty of buses. So what are you doing here in Tokyo?"

"Research," said L. "At the University."

"Is that how you two met?" Tristan glanced at Raito.

"I'm a student," Raito said, giving Tristan a wary glance.

"Come and dance with us!" Shiro dragged on Tristan's arm, obviously bored with the conversation.

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Nice talking to you Ryuga-san."

L watched as he was dragged onto the dance floor, wondering how such an unprepossessing individual had acquired two such cute boyfriends. Of course, he had an interesting personality – was that enough? Or perhaps he had remarkable sexual prowess? With two uke boyfriends, he'd have to have, wouldn't he?

"He asks too many questions," said Raito, rather sulkily.

"He's a writer," L reached for his glass. "They're curious about everything."

"You like him," Raito accused.

"Yes, why not? He's interesting."

"Oh, and I'm not?" Raito said, a pout beginning to form.

"Of course you are, Raito-kun, but you're not the only interesting person in the world," L said, thoughtlessly. The expression on Raito's face told him that had been entirely the wrong thing to say.

"That's nice," the teenager huffed. "Don't think I don't know what you find interesting about me! You only like me because of how I look and because I'm submissive to you, you want a conversation and you go get it from someone else!"

"This is hardly the time and place to discuss Raito-kun's insecurities," L said, knowing that wasn't going to help Raito's mood either, but tired of giving in to him.

"What? I'm not insecure!"

"If Raito-kun thinks I prefer some random man I just met over him, then he is decidedly insecure," said L, coldly.

"Well, I'm glad you found someone you have something in common with, Ryuuzaki!" Raito hissed. "You're both intelligent, you're both the same age and you both have boyfriends you keep around for their willingness to put out!"

"Raito-kun is generalising abysmally," L said, the words of I Predict A Riot suddenly starting to run through his head. "And he is becoming hysterical."

"I'm not _hysterical!"_ Raito yelled, hysterically. "I'm justifiably _annoyed_ because my boyfriend only wants me for my body!"

"You're being ridiculous, Raito," L said, standing up. "Your body has nothing to do with this."

"So you _don't _want my body?" Raito also stood up, leaning forward to glare into the detective's face.

"Of course I do," said L. "In fact I have something I want to do with it right now."

"You have got to be joking, Ryuuzaki! You insult me and then – "

"I didn't insult you, Raito, you insulted yourself," said L, taking the younger man's arm. "Come and dance with me."

"Dance?" Raito's rageometer slid down a notch. "But – I thought you said you don't want to – "

"I changed my mind," said L, hauling Raito onto the dance floor and clasping him tightly in his arms, which he had to admit was inappropriate for the track that was playing.

"What's this?" the detective murmured into his lover's ear.

"Huh? I can't hear you..."

"What's the music!" L yelled.

"Puretone! Addicted To Bass!"

"I like it!"

"Yeah! It's good! Do you really think I'm insecure!"

"Yes!"

"Why would I be like that!"

"I don't know!"

"Yes you do, or you wouldn't have said it!"

"You're not used to intimacy! You find it difficult to deal with because it's unfamiliar! You don't know how to cope with something you're not immediately good at! You're threatened by having to make allowances for someone else's needs apart from your own!"

"You make me sound like a wonderful person!"

"You are a wonderful person! Just a little fucked up as well!"

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome!"

"I was being sarcastic!"

"So was I!"

"We're dancing wrong for this!"

"I don't want to dance any other way!"

"Are you being romantic!"

"No, I'm dubious about my dancing abilities! I've only ever done it in private!"

"I see I'm not the only one who's insecure!"

"I never denied it, Raito!"

The music faded away as L and Raito glared at each other.

"What's this?" Raito said as an insistent drum beat started up.

"Underworld!" said L, moving away from his lover.

"You like _techno?" _Raito stared in amazement at the suddenly spiralling L. "Okay, I'll take that as a yes..."

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"Nice moves!" Shiro called out to L when he and Raito eventually returned to their table.

"Thank you," L said, feeling – what was he feeling? Embarrassed? Pleased? Thirsty, mostly...

"Telling me you didn't dance," Raito said disgustedly, taking the only available seat. He glanced around. "You'll have to sit on my lap, Ryuga."

"You could sit on my lap, Light," said L.

"That doesn't make sense. You weigh less than me."

L leaned forward, whispered in Raito's ear. "L does not sit on laps!"

"How about Ryuuzaki," Raito murmured back. "Does he do that?" At which point he took advantage of L's unbalanced stance to grab him. L found himself swept onto the chair on top of Raito. Deciding that it was more undignified to struggle than to stay where he was, he merely gave his lover a black look.

"That's better," Raito said.

"Better in what way, Light?" L asked.

"I don't know," said Raito. "Just better."

"Because you have made me look like the kind of boyfriend who sits on laps?" L asked.

"Why are we arguing so much?" Raito asked, pulling L closer and stroking a hand through his hair.

"I don't know. Why do you think it is?"

"Maybe we're both insecure. About our relationship."

"That seems like a workable theory, Light-kun," L agreed.

"So what are you insecure about?" Raito said.

"You first," said L.

"Well – you don't live in Japan. I don't know if you're at all serious about this. Maybe you're just amusing yourself with me. Maybe you do this all the time."

"I hardly think you could believe that, Raito-kun!" L whispered angrily. "You know that I never do this at all!"

"Usually I can tell when people are lying to me," Raito mused. "But not you. I'm never sure with you."

"Then you'll just have to believe me, won't you," said L.

"You haven't told me anything _to_ believe," Raito said, rather sadly.

"You want declarations?" said L.

"Only if they're true, Ryuuzaki," Raito stared down at L's hands, then took one in his own, stroked it.

"I need a drink," L said, getting up.

"I'll go," Raito stood up quickly and left before L could argue about it. Instead, he took the opportunity to claim the chair. Wondered how to put things right between them. After a few moments thought, he came up with two methods. One of them, stating his feelings to Raito, seemed to be beyond his ability to perform just now. No matter how he imagined saying that – well, he just couldn't imagine saying it. Obviously his own insecurities were getting in the way and that was annoying. Would have to be dealt with. Maybe he could write it down? Why wasn't it nearer Valentine's Day? And Raito's birthday was even further away. It didn't seem such a difficult thing to do, but – the boy was Kira. Had been Kira. L decided that perhaps he was justifiably nervous about putting his heart into the hand of a murderer.

There was another way. From the things Raito had said, L could infer that he was seeing himself as some kind of sex toy, a plaything for Ryuuzaki's lust. Which was ridiculous, but in the course of his internet explorations, L had come to realise that love often was ridiculous. That people in love apparently took leave of a great part of their higher cognitive powers and were prey to all kinds of disturbing emotional effects. He was uncomfortable aware that he was not immune to this himself – seeing Raito being hugged by the two half naked young men earlier had certainly aroused a strong feeling of jealousy or perhaps possessiveness.

So how to make Raito feel more secure with the situation? There was an obvious physical way to show him that he wasn't just being used, that he was an equal partner, that he didn't have to only do what L required. L simply had to remove the limits he'd set on their physical relationship. Or rather, the ones they'd both tacitly set, Raito respecting the inhibitions caused by L's past experiences.

Could he do this? When he even felt dubious about the implications of sitting on his lover's lap, could he allow himself to be dominated? Violated? No, that wasn't a good word to use – penetrated perhaps. Entered. Invaded. Overcome. Rendered submissive. There certainly were a lot of words for this kind of thing...

He was interrupted by Raito's return, took the glass of coke from his lover and thanked him.

"I hope you make regular visits to a dentist, Ryuga," Raito said. "The things you eat and drink."

"Beer has sugar in it," L countered.

"Not so much," said Raito. "Besides, I don't drink a lot of beer. Next time I'll have juice."

"Acid," said L. "Just as bad as sugar for the teeth."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?" Raito said. Acidically.

L stood up. "Please sit down, Light. You look tired after all that dancing."

"So do you, Ryuga, if I sit there you'll have to stand up," said Raito, not taking the chair.

"No, Light-kun, I won't," said L. "Not if we continue with our previous seating arrangement."

Raito's eyes opened wide in surprise. "But I made you do that!"

"And having done it, I found I liked it," L said, unprepared for the look of incredulous delight that spread across his lover's face. L smiled back, pleased that he'd made Raito so happy. Was this all it took? What was it about sitting on him, of all things, that would make Raito look as if Christmas had come?

Raito practically leapt into the chair and held his arms out to L, who cautiously sat down on his lap, then found himself hugged to breathlessness.

"It's not like you to be so affectionate, Ryuuzaki!" Raito whispered in his ear.

"Am I not?" L wondered.

"Not like this!" Raito said, still smiling.

L had to admit it was true. Their relationship seemed to consist of work, sleep, food and frenetic bouts of fairly peculiar sex, often involving Raito being restrained with the chain that bound them. There didn't seem to be any time for – for other things. For affection or possibly even romance. For just spending time together.

Well, perhaps what he was about to do would please Raito. What he was about to do – what exactly was he about to do?

"You're an incredible dancer," Toshi leaned across to them.

"Thank you, Toshi-san," L said.

"I bet you're good in bed," Toshi continued. "You can tell by how a guy dances, you know."

"That's, uh, interesting," L said.

"So is he?" Shiro asked, nudging Raito.

"I'm going for a walk, Light-kun," L said.

"What? Do you want me to come with you?" Raito looked concerned.

"No thank you, Light-kun," L said, wishing he could say yes. "I wish to absorb the ambience. Besides, it'll be easier for you to talk about me behind my back if my back is elsewhere."

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

Some time later, L returned to the table where Raito sat, feeling a good deal more confident. Nobody had molested, insulted or tried to murder him. Although he'd been asked to dance a few times, which had surprised him. And he had observed. He had knowledge. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to bring himself to put it into practise, but he had it. He'd also had a couple of drinks while he was walking round and felt a lot more relaxed.

He was dismayed to notice that Raito's mood seemed to worsened since he left. Nobody else was at the table and the young man was sitting hunched over, a scowl on his face and a drink in his hand that looked more like sake than the juice he'd said he would have.

"I'm back, Raito-kun," L said, cautiously.

"Oh, really?" said Raito, not looking up. "I was about to forget that I'd actually come here with somebody!"

"Can I sit down?" L asked.

"Plenty of chairs!" said Raito, waving an arm and sweeping a bottle off the table.

"Are you drunk?" L said, anxiously. That might ruin his plan!

"No," said Raito. "Maybe. Sit down for God's sake!"

"I want to sit on you," said L.

"Huh?" Raito looked up. "I don't know if you should know that's a good idea," he went on, rather incoherently. "You sat on my lap and you disappeared."

"I had some things to think about, Raito-kun," said L. "I've finished thinking now and I want to sit on your lap."

"They went dancing," said Raito. "We could dance some more. If you'd been here."

"You don't look fit to dance," said L, moving Raito's arms from his lap and sitting down on it. "Why don't I take you home and make you some coffee?"

"Yagami Raito does not need _protection_ from – from lack of coffee!" Raito declaimed, feebly trying to shove the detective off his lap.

L sighed and wrapped his arms around Raito's neck. "Don't be angry with me, Raito," he murmured. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't go away," Raito said, refusing to join in the embrace. "And why are you L, anyway?"

"Shhh!" said L.

"Nobody listening," said Raito, with another expansive gesture that knocked over the chair next to theirs. "And L is a pain in the ass, he doesn't like to do anything!"

"I'm calling Watari," L decided. "We're going home."

"You're no fun," said Raito. "Just like L!"

"Yes, I am, Raito-kun," said L, rather hurt by that. "I'm a lot of fun. We'll go home and we'll – we'll watch Jay and Nathan having sex on my laptop!"

"A laptop's too small to have sex on, Ryuga," said Raito, then burst into a fit of giggles.

L rolled his eyes and got out his phone.

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

_A/N __This ends on a bit of a cliffhanger but I have people around that make it impossible for me to write the next scene – it's a bit lemony for general viewing and I have no door on the room where I write. So I'll probably put the next one up midweek :)_

_I Predict A Riot – song by the Kaiser Chiefs, local heroes XD_

_The potato thing is something I actually read about – but perpetrated by a French person rather than Japanese XD_


	8. Chapter 8

_My apologies for this not arriving when I said it would. I'm the master of bad timing – all my lemons are scheduled for Easter, when it's hectic around here. And I don't like to write that kind of thing with the possibility someone might walk in and wonder why all the heavy breathing etc XD_

_This continues on straight after the previous one._

_Thanks very much for all the reviews! They inspire me :)_

_DISCLAIMER: Death Note and its characters are not mine. I just open the packet, mix and stir then add hentai XD_

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

L hoped Watari wouldn't be too long arriving with the car. Raito was shivering as they stood outside the club. They'd said goodbye to their new friends and L had ascertained that they were the ones who'd given Raito the sake. To cheer him up, they said. L felt like smacking them all around the head. Raito, apart from moments of bizarre giggling, was not a cheerful drunk.

L sighed and decided his plans for the evening were vanishing fast. And after all that damned embarrassing lap-sitting as well. So much for seduction, Raito seemed beyond the point where he'd even notice it.

"I'm cold," Raito grumbled. "And look at you, baka, you have no coat on, come here!" He reached out and grabbed L, pulling him close.

"Watari – " said L.

"Fuck Watari," Raito mumbled into his lover's hair.

"Um, no," said L, earning a laugh.

"No, not me either," Raito agreed. "But you – I'd like to."

"What?" L straightened up, looked at the boy in alarm. Then remembered suddenly that this was what he'd planned and wiped his face expressionless.

"Said I'd like to fuck you," Raito said, conversationally, but his eyes were alight with questioning and challenge.

"Maybe you're too drunk," said L.

"Maybe I'm damn well not." said Raito.

L didn't answer this, just slipped his arms around Raito's waist, leaning into him comfortably. No, not comfortably. Raito's whole body was hot despite the freezing weather and he exuded tension, L could almost see it around him like sparks dancing over his elegant form.

"You can't keep on forever chaining me up so I don't get my hands on you," Raito went on.

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" L asked, wondering why he was surprised that the boy had worked it out.

"You're scared of me," Raito said, somewhat triumphantly.

"L is not scared," L murmured.

"Why do you call yourself that?" Raito muttered into L's hair. "Why do you call yourself L? Not Ryuuzaki or – or anything else."

"What else would I call myself, Raito?"

"Don't change the subject, Ryuu-chan." Raito said. "Is that what you want me to call you?"

"If you wish," L said. "Not in public, though."

Raito murmured something that L didn't catch but before he could ask what it was, the limo drew up, Watari at the wheel.

The ride back was silent, Raito brooding at one side of the long bench seat and L, at the other, wondering what he was about to get himself into. Allowing Raito to make free with his body when he was his usual fairly pleasant self was one thing. Raito in angry mode and especially with his inhibitions unstrung by alcohol, that was something else. Perhaps it would be best to leave this for some other night.

Decision unmade, he trailed after a somewhat unsteady Raito into the elevator and up to their floor.

"I need a shower," Raito declared as they entered their apartment. "They gave me sake, you know, L. I'm drunk."

"No shit, Sherlock," L muttered. "What did you say to me, Raito, just before Watari arrived? I didn't hear you."

"I said you're scared," said Raito, heading for the bathroom, peeling off clothes and dragging L along behind him.

"Is this supposed to encourage me into passivity?" L enquired as he pulled his shirt off then unlocked the handcuffs. "Am I supposed to let you have me just to prove I'm not scared of it? Because you know very well that I am."

"It's not about you being scared of sex," Raito pushed his pants and underwear down and kicked them away. "It's about you being scared of me. It's about you not trusting me not to make you do what you don't want."

"I know you want it, Raito," L said, staring down at the chain in his hands. "I see it in your face when you look at me. That you want me that way."

"Yes, I do," Raito stepped into the shower, turned on the water. "But I wouldn't force you to do it. I haven't even asked you to."

"Your eyes ask me," said L, dropping the chain to the floor and stripping off the rest of his clothes before joining Raito in the shower.

"I can't help what my eyes do, Ryuu-chan," said Raito, half-smiling. "You go around looking so sexy and gorgeous, what do you expect? Come here and let me wash your back."

"You have a strange idea of what's good-looking, Rai-chan," L murmured, shuddering at the feel of Raito's hands on him.

"Don't give me that stupid nonsense again about you're not attractive!" Raito snapped. "What, are you blind or something?" He grabbed L by the shoulders and spun him round, nearly causing the detective to slip. "Ryuu-chan, you are the most absolutely beautiful man I ever saw in my whole life and that's including myself."

L looked into his lover's eyes, saw only desire and hunger and a touch of feral lust. Like looking into a mirror and seeing something much better than he'd expected.

"I want to – " Raito began, then staggered slightly and nearly knocked them both to the shower floor.

"You're still drunk," L scolded, holding the boy upright then rolled his eyes at his own tone of voice. "Dear God, Raito, it's like being married!"

"You want to be Mrs Yagami?" Raito started to giggle.

"Ask me when you're sober," L muttered.

"You're only saying that because you think I'll forget about it," said Raito.

"Don't be ridiculous," said L, leaving the shower and grabbing for a towel. "You're not _that _drunk."

"Where are you going?" Raito demanded.

"To set up the laptop. We're watching your friends have sex tonight. Or don't you want to?"

"I want to."

"Are you capable of making some coffee?"

"I'm capable of making anything!" Raito said, then winked at L. "Or _anybody."_

L hurried into the bedroom, muttering a few words to himself that he very rarely found it necessary to use. He was almost ashamed of himself, taking advantage of Raito while he was drunk, but then again, what he was actually doing was letting Raito take advantage of him – wasn't he?

He turned the laptop on and placed it on the pillow, facing down the bed. Decided the pillow might have other uses and threw it down the end of the bed instead. Finished drying his hair rapidly and turned everything out of the closet looking for Raito's adult shop purchases before remembering they'd been put under the bed for convenience. Was he really going to do this he asked himself. Yes, it looked like he was and now he was wishing he'd had a few more drinks himself. Still, he was sexy and gorgeous, he should be able to keep things under control...

"Holy fucking shit!"

L turned to the doorway to see Raito wearing only a pair of jeans and spilling coffee onto the floor, a look of total dumbass incredulity on his face.

"You're dripping," L said.

"I really wouldn't be surprised!" said Raito, righting the tilting cups. "What the – what – "

He fell silent and L smirked, pleased with the impression he'd created. He'd tried several different positions before settling for lying on his front, head on hands, staring at the laptop screen, deciding that was surely indicative of what he had in mind.

"Coffee," said Raito, sounding not at all like himself.

"Thank you, sweetheart," L purred at him. God, he was good at this!

"You're naked!" Raito said, climbing onto the bed, "Oh my God, no you're not!"

"No, I'm not," said L.

"Is that the thong I bought you?"

"Surely Raito-kun does not think I had any underwear like this beforehand?" L said, forebearing to mention who had actually paid for it.

"Ah, Ryuu-chan, you're irresistible, why are you doing this?" Raito groaned. "And in such small underwear – turn around, let me see the front of it."

L obliged, feeling his face flush as Raito subjected his groin to an extremely close examination. That wasn't the only physical effect the boy's gaze had and Raito watched in interest as the tiny black thong began to stretch under the pressure from within.

"Do you want to watch this or not?" L asked. Any more of this, this – staring – and he wasn't going to care about seeing someone else having sex. It still amazed him that Raito's attention could have such a profound effect on his physical state.

"Umm... yes," Raito murmured, not sounding too sure about it.

L rolled back onto his front and pressed play. Vividly aware of the pressure of Raito's body against his, the warmth of his skin, the way his arm slid around L's waist, his fingers gently stroking.

The scene was a bedroom. A bedroom that seemed, L considered, to have been deliberately set up as a shrine to kink. Black sheets, black pillows, dim red lighting and – what were those _things _hanging on the walls?

"This isn't looking particularly vanilla," Raito commented. "I thought they said they'd do some hentai stuff because _we_ like it?"

"People often make excuses for their inclinations," L said.

Now someone was coming into the room. A dark-haired man, handcuffed, blindfolded, he seemed to have been pushed through the door and stumbled to the end of the bed, kneeling there as if waiting. Apart from the blindfold, cuffs and a collar he wasn't wearing anything.

"That must be Nathan," Raito breathed. "He certainly is hung!"

"I thought he'd be seme," L put his head on one side, staring at the screen. Shuffled sideways a little, pressing against Raito so the boy shifted, his leg slipping across L's, between L's.

"Jay's seme," Raito said. "Even when he's not."

L wasn't sure he understood that, but he thought it would probably become clear at some point.

"Here he is," Raito added.

"He's blond," said L.

"Yes, didn't I tell you?"

"Black leather looks good on a blond."

"Black leather looks good on you, Ryuu-chan," Raito muttered in L's ear, making the detective shiver.

L snuggled against his lover, watching the onscreen action as Jay, dressed in black leather underwear and jacket, grabbed Nathan's cuffs and dragged him onto the bed, fastening his cuffs to the head of it –

"They must have had a special attachment built into it," L said.

"Mmm, bondage bed," Raito agreed, running his hand down his lover's back. L smiled to himself and slid one arm between them, his fingers reaching down to brush over the bulge in Raito's pants.

"Ryuu – " Raito murmured

"Hard," L whispered.

"I want you," Raito said, stroking circles around L's butt, squeezing it.

"Spanking," L directed Raito's attention to the movie, where Nathan was face down on the bed, arms outstretched, hands fastened and was indeed being spanked by his lover.

"No paddle," Raito said.

"Leather gloves are good though," L commented.

They watched in fascination as, the punishment over, Jay pulled Nathan to his knees and, after a perfunctory spurt of lube onto his own erection, entered his lover forcibly in one long thrust. There was a cry of pain, moaning, muttered words.

"Uuuuuh!" Raito murmured, his hand suddenly clenching, his fingers pressing into the flesh of L's buttock. L felt the first stirrings of fear but ignored them. This was Raito – his lover – there was nothing to be afraid of.

Jay pulled out, rolling Nathan over, the blindfolded boy groaning incoherently as his lover bent and took his huge cock in his mouth.

Raito bent and kissed L's shoulder, ran his tongue up to the back of his neck, suckled on it, making the detective moan.

On the screen, Jay lifted his head from his lover's wet, glistening dick and straddled it, then lowered himself until he was impaled on the huge shaft.

"I see what you mean," L said, breathlessly. "Still seme..."

"Mmm," Raito murmured, his tongue lapping the side of L's neck, his hand pushing the thong down his lover's hips, down his thighs, pulling it off.

L suddenly lost interest in seeing anyone else's loveplay, although he left it on for the sound effects. He rolled over under Raito, looking up at him. The boy's eyes were half-closed, lustful.

"You want me," L said.

"I always want you, Ryuu-chan," Raito said.

L reached up, wrapped his arms around Raito and pulled him closer, on top. Wrapped his legs around him too, surely that was enough of a hint.

"Beautiful Ryuuzaki," Raito murmured, leaning down, his lips meeting L's, soft pressure, gentle movement.

L opened his mouth, ran his tongue around his lover's lips, eliciting a gasp of pleasure. Their tongues met, L's teasing, flicking, tempting Raito to invade his mouth, would the boy never get the idea of what he wanted? Would he have to ask for it? He didn't even know if he was capable of doing that.

"Uhnnn!" Raito moaned into his lover's mouth, grinding his hips against the older man.

L arched his back, pressing his body against the boy's naked chest, reaching down to unfasten his jeans.

"Yes, yes, take them off, quick, Ryuuzaki!" Raito gasped. "I need you to! I want – I want to – nnnn!"

L rolled his eyes. Couldn't his damn lover _say_ what he wanted?

"What do you want, Raito-chan?" he murmured as he slid Raito's pants down over his hips and kicked them the rest of the way off.

"I – I – oh, God, I want to fuck you, Ryuuzaki!" Raito burst out, then pulled away, leaning up on his elbows. "I mean, no, no I don't!"

"Yes, yes, you do!" L disagreed.

"Well, yes, maybe I do," Raito admitted. "But I never would. I know you don't want to – "

"I'm helpless!" L insisted. "I can't stop you! I've had too much to drink!"

"Huh?" Raito stared at his lover in amazement. "You have? I thought that was me?"

"Well perhaps I haven't," said L. "But you could still – " he fell silent, defeated. The moment was slipping away and he had no idea how to get it back.

"You want me to?" said Raito, slowly.

L looked up at him. Of course, Raito drunk was still more intelligent than any human being had a right to be. He'd worked out what was going on. But how could L answer him? He didn't feel he could say yes and he didn't want to say no and remaining silent seemed like a useless option too.

"You know I'd never force you," Raito was saying. "Helpless, drunk or not. How could you think I'd do such a thing? You know me – so you want me to... but you don't want to ask me to..."

"Yes," said L, thanking gods he didn't believe in for giving Raito such impressive deductive powers.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Raito wondered. "Underwear and a sleazy movie – you don't want to ask so you think you'll get me in the mood some other way."

L, still unable to comment, did his best to look encouraging. Smiled. Then licked his lips nervously.

"That's cute," Raito said, leaning down to do the same, his tongue tracing the outline of L's mouth. He reached for the lube from the bedside table, then grabbed the laptop and moved it out of the way. Slid down the bed so he was lying between his lover's legs, his head at crotch level.

"Are you, um – hah!" L moaned as Raito's tongue ran around the sensitive head of his cock, as his lips closed on it in a kiss.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Raito assured him, before taking L's glans into his mouth, sucking on him, sliding his lips down the shaft.

L lay back, his hands entwined in Raito's hair, giving himself up to the sensation. He groaned, his legs wrapped tight around his lover's shoulders. Then gave a little cry, half pleasure, half fear, as a slick, lubed finger suddenly invaded him.

"Shhh," Raito murmured, letting L's cock slip from his mouth. "It's only a finger, it won't hurt you."

"Hmmn!" L muttered, wanting this but still unable to stop himself writhing under the boy's touch, trying to evade it. And when another finger joined the first he began to really believe he couldn't go through with it.

Raito shifted slightly, adjusting the angle of his arm and L, about to give in and ask him to stop, suddenly gave a breathy scream and arched off the bed as Raito's questing fingers touched something deep inside him that made him quiver and shake and push himself down onto his lover's hand, seeking for more of the same exquisite pleasure.

"Yes," Raito whispered. "See, it's good, you like it, don't you, gorgeous, sexy Ryuuzaki."

"Mmmhhh!" L agreed, grabbing Raito's head and pushing it back toward his needy cock.

Raito smiled up at him and took L back into his mouth, sliding another finger into him at the same time.

L moaned and twisted on the bed, tossing his head from side to side as Raito sucked him and finger fucked him, every so often his fingers brushing that sweet pleasure centre, making the detective cry out and beg for more.

"Noooo!" L murmured as Raito slid his fingers out, sitting up and looking at his sweaty, gasping lover with a sweet smile.

"Something better now," Raito assured him, taking the lube and squirting it onto the head of his cock.

L watched in fascination as Raito stroked the slippery substance over himself, his fingers swirling it over the glans, down the shaft.

"How do you want it?" Raito raised an eyebrow.

L stared back at him, shaking his head in frustration.

"You still can't ask?" Raito looked thoughtful. "I suppose there's no point having an instructional video if you don't learn something from it." He lay down next to L on his back and smiled at his lover.

"What are you doing, Raito?" L was moved to speech. "We're not even touching each other."

"You're on top," Raito explained. "That way you don't have to feel I'm making you do it. You can jump off any time you want to."

L raised himself up from the bed. Looked down at Raito, reached out and ran a finger along the line of his jaw.

"You really love me, don't you," the detective said.

"Didn't you believe me?" Raito said.

"No."

"Nice, Ryuuzaki, ruin the mood."

"I thought you were mistaken," L explained.

"Yes, because that's the kind of mistake anybody can make," Raito said. "Oh, I love you, oops, no, not you, that guy standing behind you."

L laughed. "I know you do now."

"No you don't," said Raito. "All you know is I don't want to hurt you or frighten you. It's not the same."

"Hmm, for you it is," L said. "You're not a particularly considerate person, in case you hadn't noticed."

"You're just digging the hole deeper," Raito said, looking slightly annoyed. "Is this some kind of displacement activity? If you don't use it soon it's going to wilt away."

L looked down at Raito's groin, saw no evidence of diminishing ardour.

"Want to chain me to the bed?" Raito offered.

"No, I think I'll rely on your moral and principled nature," L said, dryly, moving over to straddle his lover.

"Uhn!" Raito shifted as L's thighs settled around him. "Ryuuzaki – you are such a sexy man. I can't get enough of you... looking at you. Touching you. Anything with you."

"You're beautiful, Raito," L said, looking down at his lover, at his perfect body, his flushed face. "But you know that, don't you."

"I know you are," Raito muttered. "God, sometimes I look at you, I think I'm going to faint or cum or something."

L smiled, settled his hips down onto his lover, rewarded by a moan, Raito's hands coming up to caress him. It wasn't enough. The detective knew what he had to do but doing it was another matter altogether.

"Damn you, Raito, you're too nice!" he said.

"What's wrong?" Raito's face was all concern.

L looked away. "I can't." he muttered. "It's bad enough thinking about you doing it, I can't do it to myself!"

He rolled away, lying on the bed, his back to Raito, disgusted with himself. Such a simple thing, something he wanted to give his beloved and he just – couldn't.

Then Raito's arms were around him, holding him, dragging him back against that warm, muscular body. L sighed and went limp, let himself be pulled around to face the boy.

"Ryuu," Raito murmured, dropping soft kisses all over the detective's face. "It's okay, don't worry, if you really want this – "

L didn't answer, just put his arms around Raito, pulled him closer, Raito clasping him to his hot, sweaty torso, pressing his lips to the detective's, licking and teasing, opening L's mouth for his tongue to explore.

L murmured into the kiss, his hands stroking all over Raito, comforting himself with the feel of his lover's smooth skin under his fingers.

Then he was rolled over, Raito on top, the boy's knee pushing between his thighs. L resisted for a moment then gave up. Whimpered as his neck was attacked, licked, sucked, bitten. Surrendered to the pressure of Raito's body, moving between his legs, opening him.

Raito lifted himself briefly, L glanced down, saw him applying more lube, soon then – and soon became now as Raito leaned forward, lifting his lover's legs and was at his entrance, inside him, before L could think, react, or tense up about it.

He cried out as the thick head of Raito's cock pushed into the sensitive ring of muscle, stretching him, but the boy ignored him, pushing gently but relentlessly inside, firm, slow strokes until he was completely sheathed inside his lover.

Raito leaned up, pushed L's legs up over his shoulders and began to fuck him. L looked up at him, thinking he had never seen Raito so beautiful, his face gleaming with sweat, flushed with passion, his expression intense and concentrated and wholly sexy. And this feeling, inside – it wasn't bad. It wasn't how he remembered it. There was very little pain, swiftly becoming no pain and then, as Raito connected with his pleasure centre –

"Aaahn! Oh, fuck, Raito!"

"Yes, Ryuuzaki," Raito murmured, breathlessly. "Whatever you say."

L moaned, pushing himself up toward his lover, grasping his shoulders, digging in his nails, his whole being focused on the movement inside of him, the fullness, the tormenting ecstasy as Raito's cock moved into him, out of him, each stroke stimulating the sensitive nerves of his opening, each thrust inside connecting with his prostate, making him cry out and shudder.

"More, Rai-chan!" he gasped. "More! Harder! Faster."

"Urrrrhh!" Raito growled, throwing caution to the four winds and driving himself into his lover, pounding him, one hand coming round to grasp L's stiff, erect member and pump it in his fist, making the detective yell with pleasure.

"Do it, do it, do me," L litanized, tossing his head from side to side on the bed, sweat-dampened hair streaking his face, he flipped it aside, not wanting anything to blur his vision of Raito, groaning above him, biting his lip, his expression neither pain nor pleasure but too much of both.

"I'm cumming," Raito gasped, his cock jerking inside the detective's body, seeming to swell as he bucked his hips, thrusting hard into L, shooting his seed deep into the tight warm wetness of his lover.

L screamed and arched off the bed as he spurted hot, thick jizz all over Raito's hand and his own chest and stomach, his body writhing with pleasure as he pushed into his lover's fingers, overwhelmed with wave after wave of ecstatic release.

"Uhn, hah," Raito murmured incoherently, sinking down on top of L, wrapping his arms around the detective.

"Hmm," L replied, unable to catch his breath. "Rai – "

"Mmm."

"Oh."

"Yes."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you glad you did it now?"

"Yes."

"I hope it was okay for you."

"Yes."

"Is that the only word you remember how to say?"

"Yes."

"In that case, can we do it again?"

"Yes."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Raito, you must be the best lover in the world."

"I don't know, Ryuuzaki. I guess you'd have to have everybody first to compare."

"That would take a long time."

"And I think I might object."

"But I'm ninety-nine point seven per cent certain that you're the best anyway."

"Not a hundred?"

"I think I need to make one more test to be sure..."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Raito."

"Mmm? Again?"

"No, it's time to go to work."

"Already? What – I've only been asleep for an hour."

"Raito?"

"Mmm?"

"I can't move."

"No, I'm having some difficulty – ow!"

"Everything aches! And I'm so sore – behind!"

"My damn dick aches, I feel like I put it in a pencil sharpener!"

"Perhaps five times in one night are too many, Raito."

"I don't know, you have a lot of lost time to make up for."

"All at once?"

"Just be glad you've got that strange way of sitting, at least you don't have to put your butt on the chair all day."

"No, that would be painful."

"And lend me some pants, I need some room to recover."

"I told you yours were too tight."

"Yes, you're always right."

"Maybe a shower would help."

"Mmm, maybe a kiss would help..."

"Raito – unnh!"

"Want to go for six?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	9. Chapter 9

_This story will probably be finished before I post the two endings for Cruel and Unusual. This is because they both occupy the same manga-time and gods forbid the plotlines should get tied together, especially since there are now three instead of two XD_

_I'd like to thank the people that have posted reviews without logging in – I can't reply to you directly, but I really appreciate your comments :) And thanks to everyone else that's reviewed as well, it's great to know people are enjoying it. Or even if you think something could be better, constructive criticism is always welcome, plot ideas, anything, there's always room for improvement :) _

_The quote in the text – it says it's a quote – is from The Ancient Mariner by Coleridge._

_SPOILERS: Up to episode 25 anime/58 manga._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Death Note or its characters, I kidnapped them and have them in my basement where I subject them to various unspeakable tortures including bondage, denial of writing privileges and forced consumption of wholesome food XD_

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

The world was ending. Fire fell from the sky in molten scoops, seas burned up and humanity trembled. Or rather, that portion of humanity that consisted of a dark-eyed overly-slender genius detective trembled. There didn't seem to be a lot of other people around, strangely enough. Where was the screaming, the pointless praying, the vain attempts to save material possessions that didn't matter now? And more to the point, where was Raito?

L hurried through the deserted, earthquake-torn streets, watching buildings topple, searching for his friend (lover?). He turned occasionally, glancing behind him.

"Because he knows a fearful fiend," he quoted aloud to himself, breathless from running, "Doth close behind him tread..."

"Lawliet," the voice was so close, the figure stepping out from a trash-strewn alley.

L pulled up short, nearly running into the man. And that was something he really didn't want to do.

"Raito?" he said, questioning, knowing the answer was no.

"Do you really think so?" Kira smiled, the evil sardonic smile that L had seen a shadow of on Raito's lips before he was confined. Before he changed.

"Kira," L said, hopelessly, and the word fell between them like a royal flush on a gaming table, except that L knew he held no cards here.

"L, you're a nuisance," Kira said, carmine eyes flashing somewhere between annoyance and amusement. Much like Raito's did at times. "You're a pain in the neck. An irritation. A spoke in my wheel and a ghost in my machine."

"Glad to hear it, Kira-_sama," _ L said with as much sarcasm as he could muster through the pain of seeing Raito, _his_ Raito, subsumed into the demon.

"Do you really think you can turn me into your lapdog?" Kira took a step closer and L resisted the urge to back away. "Do you think, when I regain my power, that I won't kill you for what you're doing? Chaining me – using me – "

"That's _not_ what I'm doing," L said. "Raito knows it. Maybe you don't. I suppose a creature of death doesn't know much about love."

"Love?" Kira burst out laughing, loud, maniacal laughter that harmonised with the crumple of falling stone around them. "What the hell do you know about love, Lawliet? The only thing you love is your own twisted idea of justice. Which translates into doing exactly what you like and making everyone else accept it. Come to think of it – " he paused, smiling, "we're a lot alike, aren't we?"

"We are nothing alike, Kira!" L said. "You're a murderer. And I – "

"You're a fool," Kira hissed. "You think you can play with me to satisfy your sexual curiosity. You think because you have me at your mercy that I won't remember every touch, every advantage you take of me, and make you pay for it in pain!"

"This is nonsense!" L snapped. "I would never – "

"But you do, Lawliet!" Kira growled, leaning nearer. "You lie and you cheat and you take what you want without caring for anybody but your own sick, greedy self!"

L stared into the eyes of the fiend, red and merciless. He wanted to run.

"There's nowhere to go," Kira laughed, a low humorless chuckle. "Nowhere to run to, Lawliet, nowhere to hide. I thought I'd keep you – own you as my pet. But now I see you're too much of a liability."

"You can't deal with someone who's your equal," L spat. "You're afraid of me, Kira."

"Don't seek to humiliate me any further," Kira said, a look of spoiled anger on his face, almost a pout. "I have your death all packaged up and very soon now I'll deliver it to you. Wrapped up in red paper, Lawliet, sealed with a kiss."

They glared at each other amongst the wreckage, man and monster. L sighed. Stared into the eyes of what used to be his friend. Why was he even angry? What good did it do?

"You're right," he admitted. "I lie. I lie to everyone. I lie to hide myself, to keep myself safe from people who'd see the real person I am and think I was more of a freak than they already do. I lie to get what I want. To make my opponents think I'm no threat to them. To win. Damn, sometimes I just lie because I don't know any other way to be."

"Or because you enjoy it, Lawliet," the demon nodded, thoughtfully. "It's a challenge, isn't it? To be believed when you're spouting the most outrageous untruths – we both know what a pleasure that can be."

"Yes," L said, simply.

"Did you think I wouldn't see through you?" Kira mused. "When you told me to take advantage of Misa – to _lie_ to her – did you think I wouldn't know that was exactly what you did to me? Telling me I was your _first friend_, when it was obvious a man like you would never make friends with your suspect."

"I knew you didn't believe me," L said, taking a step forward, his hands lifting to rest on the shoulders of the fiend in friend's shape. "It was a game. You played it the same way I did. You're the only person I've ever met that sees me, that understands me. We're the same. Misfits that don't belong anywhere except with each other."

"Are you going to get romantic with me now?" Kira sneered, but L could see the alarm in his eyes.

"That's how I am with you, Raito," L said. "Inasmuch as I know how. If you're asking if I love you, then yes, I do. Enough to let you kill me if that's what you need to do."

"You're lying," Kira hissed, trying to pull away, held by the detective's hands.

"No," said L. "There really is no point in my lying to you, because you're the only one that knows me. The only one that belongs to me. And the only one that needs me as much as I need you. Only you."

He pressed his lips to the monster's, ignoring the taste of death, kissing ruthlessly, eyes open and meeting Kira's shocked stare as the structures around them continued to fall, huge blocks of stone falling, thudding into the broken earth.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Wake up, L, for God's sake, there's someone at the door!"

L opened his eyes, confused as the thumping of toppling masonry continued. Then he realised.

"There's someone at the door, Raito," he mumbled.

"Yes, that's what I've been telling you!" the boy rolled his eyes. "When you sleep, you sleep like the dead, don't you!"

Unfortunate turn of phrase, L thought, reaching for his pants, fastening them as they hurried out of the room.

"How did we get chained together again?" he asked, before Raito could open the door.

"I did it," Raito said. "You fell asleep while I was getting dressed – I thought I'd leave you. You looked tired."

"I'm not surprised," L muttered.

Raito laughed and opened the door, revealing Matsuda with a smile on his face. The smile intensified as he took in L's half-naked appearance.

"Do you want something, Matsuda-san?" Raito asked after a few moments of silence. "Or did you just stop by to check out my boyfriend?"

"Uh, no!" Matsuda squeaked, blushing furiously. "I would never – Ryuuzaki, those clothes you wear don't do you any favors! Who would have known that under all that – "

"Matsuda?" L said, gently.

"They're wondering why you're late," Matsuda recalled his mission. "The Chief's getting concerned, Yagami-kun, he thinks you might be ill or something."

"Tell them we slept in," L said. "We had a late night. Going out as Yagami-san advised us to do."

"Um, yes," said Matsuda, still ogling. "Ryuuzaki, did you ever think about getting a piercing?"

"You might get one you didn't expect, if you don't put your eyes back in their sockets!" Raito snapped, out of patience.

"Two per cent increase," L muttered, earning a black look from his beloved who banged the door shut on Matsuda's aggrieved face.

"Now what?" Raito demanded, storming back into the bedroom. "I'm Kira because I don't like other men leering at my lover?"

"Jealousy is an immature reaction to such a situation, Raito," L remarked, rummaging in the closet for clean clothes. "This, combined with your inappropriate rage – "

"Are you saying you don't get jealous, Ryuuzaki?" Raito interrupted. "If Matsuda was eye-fucking my naked body, it wouldn't trouble you at all?"

"Of course not, Raito," L said, pulling on a t-shirt over the body in dispute. "I hope I would trust Raito-kun not to engage in intimate relations with any other person. So there is nothing for me to be jealous about."

Raito muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "bullshit," but refrained from making any further comment.

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"You went where?" Yagami Souchiro demanded.

"Um – clubbing," Raito said.

"That wasn't what I had in mind!" Souchiro shook his head. "I suggested you get out, go for a walk, play some wholesome sports or something! Not go on a – on a date chained together with someone who looks like an extra from Night of the Living Dead!"

"That's harsh, Yagami-san," L muttered.

"Well, nothing personal, Ryuuzaki – " Souchiro began.

"There's nothing wrong with Ryuuzaki's looks!" Raito interrupted. "He's interestingly gothic."

"Interesting?" Souchiro glared at his son. "What about Misa? What about your girlfriend? You should be interested in her! Why didn't you ask her out on this night of debauchery?"

"Um, I don't like her?" Raito said.

"Then you should tell her so and not keep leading her on!" Souchiro declared.

"Yagami-san, do you want to deal with Amane-san, spurned, in close proximity to us all?" L asked.

Souchiro paused. Thought about it.

"I see your point, Ryuuzaki," he admitted. "But that doesn't change the fact that it's not appropriate for you to be taking my son – um, going out with my son – "

"It was my idea, Dad," Raito said, with a smile. "Ryuuzaki wasn't even very keen on the idea. He would have preferred a quiet night in."

Souchiro visibly paled and his eyes shifted from one to the other of them, obviously considering the possible ramifications of a quiet night in.

"Very well," he said at last. "But no more nightclubs. And Raito, get a decent night's sleep tonight, you look terrible!" he turned to L. "And as for you, young man, I'll be having a word with Watari about your behaviour!"

"At least he didn't say you looked terrible," Raito murmured comfortingly as the two geniuses took their seats.

"That's because he thinks I always do, Raito," L smiled and got to work.

As the morning wore on, the detective was finding it increasingly more difficult to keep his mind on the Yotsuba corporation. He was more intrigued by Raito's anomalous behaviour. The boy seemed to be making a point of asking L's opinion on things he would normally just have done for himself. And when morning coffee came, Raito jumped up and fetched L's for him, adding just the right amount of cream and sugar before presenting it to the detective.

"Thank you, Raito-kun," L said. "That's very kind of you."

"I hope it's how you like it, Ryuuzaki," Raito said.

"It's perfect, Raito-kun," L said. "But normally you don't – "

The Red Hot Chili Peppers suddenly broke the silence.

"Your phone," Raito said, unnecessarily.

L answered it, watching Raito as he took the call, the boy obviously trying to follow the English conversation. Frowning as he watched L smile at his caller. More jealousy?

"Tell him to stop buggering about and give it back to you," L finished his call. "Tell him I said so. Hmm? Yes – soon, I hope. No, he's in the wind. But we have a lead on the other one. Yes, that one. Mhm, we can do that. Yes, I promise. Bye bye."

L raised an eyebrow at Raito, amused by the boy's expression, torn between curiosity and politeness.

"Something wrong, Raito-kun?"

"You have English friends too, Ryuuzaki," Raito said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I do, Raito," L agreed.

"Close friends," Raito suggested.

"Very," L said, then took pity on his lover's frustration. "He's thirteen, Raito, he's too young for me."

"That's even too young for me," Raito smiled. "Is he a relative, then?"

"Don't fish, Raito," L reproved. "I'll tell you later."

"RAITOOO!!"

"Oh shit," Raito had time to mutter before he was enveloped in blonde and white lace.

"Misa-Misa has missed her Raito!" the girl exclaimed. "He's always busy with the pervert!"

"Ryuuzaki's not a pervert, Misa!" Raito said, then caught L's eye and had to turn away, stifling a grin.

L reached for his phone.

"Misa-Misa will stay and keep poor lonely Raito company!" Misa declared. "He needs someone to talk to!"

"I have someone to talk to, Misa!" Raito said.

"And kiss!" Misa added, flinging her arms round Raito's neck and pressing her lips to his.

"Fmff!" Raito tried and failed to disentangle himself. Managed to push her off as she was distracted by Watari's arrival.

"Ryuuzaki will get fat!" she said disapprovingly, staring at the tray of sweets and ice cream that was placed in front of the detective.

"I told you, Amane-san – " L began.

"Yes, Misa knows!" Misa interrupted. "You use your brain a lot, you don't put weight on! But Misa uses her brain to realise that_ nothing_ stops diabetes!"

"Amane-san is a very intelligent woman," L said, picking up a dish of chocolate ice cream. "She is truly a suitable partner for Raito-kun."

"Urk?" the hapless other half of the proposed partnership commented.

"Misa is glad that Ryuuzaki realises this," Misa said smugly. "Misa does not need to chain Raito to her in order to enjoy his company."

"Misa, that's rude!" Raito protested, anything more he wanted to say smothered by another fervent liplock.

L shrugged. Dug his spoon into his ice cream. Looked regretfully at the dollop of chocolatey goodness. Kissed it goodbye. And flicked.

"AAAAAAGHHH!" Misa spun around, staring at the detective in disbelief, clutching at the back of her neck. "It's COLD! What IS IT!"

"Amane-san, I'm sorry!" L exclaimed. "It's ice cream!"

"What?" Misa's face contorted. "You threw ICE CREAM at me!"

"He can't help it, Misa," Raito said hurriedly. "When he gets too excited by sweets, he bursts out in random spastic movements!"

"I become unco-ordinated, Amane-san," L agreed. "And my spoon jerked and propelled chocolate ice cream onto your nice white dress, which it is now running down the back of."

"YOU FREAK!" Misa yelled. "I have a photoshoot in half an hour! I have to go change, Raito, I'll see you later!"

She fled the room. Raito stared across at L, who gave him the most innocent look he could manage. The boy turned back to his monitor. Started typing.

L smiled and made himself look as though he was working. He needed to think. What to do about – then noticed he had mail. Opened it.

**You possessive bitch!**

L grinned across at his beloved and replied.

**Yes, but I'm **_**your**_** possessive bitch.**

Raito burst into laughter, and shook his head. Then got on with his work again. L watched him for a few minutes, admiring him. Wondered what he was going to do about his beautiful polymath. A plan was developing in his mind but he wasn't sure. Was he? Raito... or Justice. And was it even justice when the boy obviously had no idea what he'd done? Well, it was the only plan he had so he might as well get it underway and see how things went.

He reached for the sugarbowl, piling the cubes out onto the desk. Raito glanced his way for a moment but he was used to L's eccentric ways with the sugar and soon resumed concentration on his screen. Only to start in surprise as a sugar cube landed on the pile of folders in front of him.

L smiled at the boy who was giving him a questioning look. Waited for him to turn away, shrugging. Then pinched another cube between thumb and forefinger. And flicked.

Raito swept both sugarcubes off his files without turning round. L raised an eyebrow at that. His lover was certainly getting used to the detective's peculiarities. No temper tantrum, no hiss of irritation, a definite improvement. He flicked another cube.

Raito sighed at this, moved to push the offending lump of sugar away, then stared at it. Fished around down the back of his paperwork for the other two. Grabbed at a fourth as it landed badly, nearly rolling off to the floor.

L watched as the boy turned the cubes over, reading the penned letters on them. So far, he had V, O, L and Y. L flipped him a U. Raito grinned and started sorting, forming the word YOU and adding the second O and E to his L and V as they came flying over. LOVE. He turned to L with a smile that was so breathtakingly beautiful that the detective blinked. No wonder they called him Light, L thought. Then remembered his dream and made a decision. There was nothing he wouldn't do to stop his lover sinking back into the darkness.

L tossed the sugarcube inscribed with I across the room, Raito plucking it out of the air one-handed. He looked at it then grinned and put it in his mouth.

L smiled back. Raito wanted to eat him. Well, that could be arranged.

"I need more coffee," the detective said, getting up off his chair.

"Already?" Raito said. "So much caffeine."

"Raito-kun knows what a late night I had," L gave his lover a lustful glance. "I hardly got any sleep at all – "

"Yes, okay," Raito got up hurriedly and followed L to the kitchen. Went across to the counter and was reaching for the coffee jug when L grabbed him and spun him around.

"What? Ryuuzaki – not here – " Raito exclaimed, then moaned as L's lips claimed his, the detective's impressive oral skills changing his lover's protests to soft mewls of pleasure, which L found a lot more agreeable. He reached down, fingers unfastening the button of Raito's pants, had his hand inside before the boy could complain about it.

Raito tossed his hair back, groaning as L's hand encircled him, demanding compliance. L took advantage of his movement to bend and run his tongue over the boy's throat, dipping down to the hollow between neck and shoulder, his lips sucking, teeth grazing the delicate skin.

"Mmm," Raito sighed, his hands sliding around the detective's waist, pulling him closer. L resisted, grabbed the boy's zipper and pulled it down, pushed his pants and boxers down in one movement, following them with his own.

"Ryuu – " Raito murmured, "Naked – not here!"

"Yes, here," L said, pushing the boy to his knees.

"No – " Raito said, then gave in, bending forward to run his tongue over L's by now raging erection.

L gasped and bucked his hips toward Raito, feeling the boy's mouth encircle him, the warm wetness moving on him wickedly. He reached down and twined his fingers in Raito's hair, tugging on it, encouraging him to take more of his engorged cock into his mouth, deep into his throat. Sighed in pleasure as Raito's tongue went to work on him, teasing with soft laps at his glans, his frenulum, each time he pulled back.

"Up," the detective commanded, his voice not quite steady, dragging the boy to his feet, then lifting him onto the kitchen counter, pressing between his thighs, pushing him back. A jar toppled, teabags strewing.

L dragged off Raito's shoes and pants. He reached for the fridge door, pulled out a jar of something that looked suitably oleaginous, twisted off the lid and dipped his fingers in, his other hand holding Raito in place although the boy didn't seem in any hurry to move. L stared at his lover, taking in his flushed face, glazed, half-lidded eyes and decided Raito must have been as much in need of this as he was himself.

He thrust two fingers into the boy and was rewarded by a moan and an intense golden glance of lust.

"Yes, Ryuu," Raito murmured. "Fuck me in the kitchen..."

"Everywhere, Raito!" L declared, passionately, pulling the boy toward him.

Raito cried out as he was dragged from the counter, wrapping his legs hastily around L as the detective impaled him, his cock sliding fully into the boy making him writhe and whimper.

L clasped his lover in his arms, carried him a few steps until Raito's back was against the wall.

"Oh God, L!" Raito exclaimed. "Yes! More!"

"Undo... your shirt," L gasped, sliding his hands lower down his lover's body, gripping his firm ass, waiting impatiently as Raito fumbled with his buttons, wishing they were in their own bedroom so he could just rip it off.

"Done," Raito gasped and L clasped his hips tightly, driving himself deep into his lover's tight, damp hotness, making the boy moan loudly and dig his fingers into L's shoulders hard enough to bruise.

"So big – my L – " Raito groaned, then practically screamed as L shifted slightly, his cock brushing against the boy's pleasure centre, making him shiver and twist against the wall.

"Take me, take me!" he cried out. "Do me, L, don't stop, harder!"

L gave a low moan of lust, his own arousal made all the more intense by seeing his lover so abandoned and needy. He wrapped his arms around Raito and pumped his dick into the boy, gone beyond the point of return, sheer pleasure sweeping over him in irresistible waves as his seed spurted deep into his lover's body, Raito responding with a cry of ecstasy as he shuddered to his own climax, spraying his own chest and stomach with love juice, calling out L's name as he came.

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

L sighed and let the boy sink to the floor.

"Oh L – " Raito murmured, wrapping his arms around the detective, "You are so – you're amazing. God, and strong too, I wouldn't have thought you could have... what's that smell?"

"Smells like – dinner," L said.

"Where's it coming from?" Raito glanced over to the kitchen counter, his eyes widening in disbelief then just as suddenly narrowing in anger. "L, did you use fucking mayonnaise as lube?"

"What other kind of mayonnaise would I have used, Raito?"

"This is no time for your bizarre sense of humor! I'm going to smell like fucking Cesar salad all damn day long now!"

"I don't mind, Raito," L soothed him.

"I damn well mind!" Raito snapped. "What were you thinking!"

"Raito-kun must have realised by now that when I'm in the mood, my thinking skills are severely limited," L said.

"Fuck!" Raito said.

"Would Raito-kun like me to clean it off him somehow?" L offered.

"No, just leave it," Raito said. "Nobody's going to be near enough to smell it anyway."

"How about if I clean this up?" L said, leaning forward to lick up the cum that was running down Raito's body.

The boy sighed and leaned back against the wall, his hands coming up to stroke the thick mass of L's hair, running his fingers through it lovingly.

"We should get dressed, Ryuu," he murmured after a few moments, sounding rather reluctant.

"I suppose so," L agreed, bending down to pick up their pants from the floor.

"And we should make some coffee," Raito said as he refastened his shirt. "That's what we came in here for."

"Not what I came in here for, Raito," L said, splashing some cold water on his face from the tap in the hopes of looking less flushed and sweaty. He reached for the mayonnaise jar and put the lid back on, opened the fridge –

"What the hell are you doing?" Raito said, snatching the jar. "You don't use kitchen condiments for sex and then leave them for other people to eat! How hygienic is that?"

"Um – not very?" L suggested.

"Not at all!" Raito said firmly, throwing the jar into the trash. "Now let's get back to work before someone comes looking for us!"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Back in the investigation room, Raito settled back in front of his monitor, no longer asking for L's input. He was altogether much quieter than usual and frowned at nothing from time to time. Obviously something was wrong and it hadn't been cured by the quickie in the kitchen. How was L supposed to concentrate when Raito looked miserable like this?

"I need the bathroom," the detective said.

"No wonder after all that coffee," Raito got up from his chair.

Out in the corridor, L didn't head for the restrooms.

"Let's go up on the roof, Raito," he said instead.

"The roof?"

"Yes. It's quiet."

"What about the case?" Raito said.

"Just for a few minutes," L said.

Raito shrugged and followed his lover.

A sharp autumn wind blew around them, cold and bitter. L shivered, then sighed as Raito's arms went around him.

"Warm," the detective murmured.

"I want to always keep you warm, Ryuu," Raito said, pressing his lips to L's, pulling him closer, his tongue seeking entry to the detective's mouth. L wrapped his arms around the boy, closing his eyes, lost in sensation, heat, wetness, touch.

At last they separated and looked at each other breathlessly. Then Raito pulled away with a sigh.

"Is something wrong, Raito?" L asked, looking at the line of his mouth, the half-lidded eyes, Raito not too happy about something.

"No."

"I noticed you were being particularly kind to me this morning."

"Was I?"

"Waiting on me hand and foot. And asking me about things you already knew the answers to."

Raito shrugged.

"Did you think I needed reassurance?" L asked. "After last night?"

"Might've crossed my mind," Raito mumbled. "But you have your own ways of reasserting yourself, don't you."

"Raito, there is no need for anyone to feel uncomfortable here," L said. "We both know who is the alpha in our relationship."

"You like it best how we did it in the kitchen," Raito said.

"Raito-kun knows I will let him do whatever he wants," L said. "I think I proved that to him last night. Six times."

"But what you like – "

"Yes," L agreed. "What we did in the kitchen. Except I would normally hope for a more prolonged event."

Raito was silent and L reached out, taking his lover by the shoulders, turning him, noting that the boy had blushed crimson.

"I really don't know," Raito muttered almost inaudibly, "What you must think of me."

"Nothing bad," L said. "Doesn't it seem a good thing to you that we suit each other?"

Raito looked up at that, a flash of something like guilt in his eyes. "You know."

"I know you like it when I'm seme," L said. "Excuse me if I'm wrong, but last night – it seemed that perhaps you were trying to prove something to yourself."

"You encouraged me!" Raito snapped.

"Yes, I did," L said, pulling the young man closer, into his arms. "I could see you wanted it. And I was curious. I've always associated the act with pain and humiliation. I was glad to have my opinion changed."

"It's not what I expected, Ryuuzaki," Raito murmured, tense in the detective's embrace. "When I thought of us together."

"You thought every night would be like last night?"

"If I was with anybody else, it probably would." Raito sighed. "It's you – you make me feel – "

"Submissive?" L suggested, when it seemed Raito couldn't or didn't want to finish his sentence.

"I suppose so," Raito's voice was dangerously close to sulky.

"Raito-kun's speculations about being with someone else could be true," L mused. "But it occurs to me that he has never given himself to anyone else. So perhaps the feelings I engender in him are what he truly seeks."

"L – last night I wanted to know. I had to know. What it would be like."

"And what conclusions did you come to, Raito?"

"It was good," Raito said, looking up at L through his eyelashes. "It was incredible. But, um, it wasn't quite _as_ good."

"Exactly how I felt about it," L hugged Raito closer to him, stroked his back gently. "Perhaps Raito-kun is having some difficulties with sexual stereotypes?"

"Hm."

"But there is no reason why we have to be like anybody else in this way, is there?" L went on. "Since neither of us is like anybody else in any other way."

"I suppose we're not," Raito said. "But you, Ryuuzaki, you like control, don't you? Everything you do is about control. Changing other people's lives, manipulating them and so on."

"You'd be surprised, Raito," L said. "Controlling everything around you isn't as attractive as you might think. I've been L for a long time now. Since I was very young. Probably too young to choose for myself."

"If you didn't do this, Ryuuzaki," Raito took L's hand. "What would you like to do?"

"I don't know. Paint, maybe."

"Paint?"

"Yes."

"Um – " Raito looked puzzled. "Do you know how?"

"Raito, I wouldn't suggest I do something I have no experience with!"

"Uh, no, I suppose not," Raito said. "But you don't have anything to do it with, do you?"

"Not here, no," L said.

"That's a pity," Raito said, looking slightly crestfallen.

L burst out laughing. "Raito, you are so vain!"

"No I'm not!" the boy protested, then reluctantly joined in the laughter. "Well, maybe I am, a little bit."

"A little bit?" L clutched himself in laughter pangs.

"Bastard," Raito said, smiling.

"I could draw you," L offered. "I have all kinds of pencils."

"Would you like to?" Raito's face was almost shy.

"More than anything," L said, pulling his lover close again. "But I'm not very good with clothing, so I'd have to do you naked."

"Do me?" Raito said. "I thought you were going to draw me?"

"Both," said L.

"Yes," Raito murmured, leaning in for a kiss. L closed his eyes and lost himself in his lover's lips, the closeness of his body, the whimpers that came from his mouth as the detective deepened the kiss, tongues meeting and caressing.

"Raito," L murmured, as they paused for breath. "Raito, what a mess this is."

"What's that, Ryuu-chan?"

"You. Me. L and Kira," the detective explained a little incoherently. "I don't want to lose you."

Raito looked into his lover's eyes. "I don't want to be lost, L."

"It's my birthday soon," L said.

"When?" Raito looked alarmed.

"The thirty-first."

"What – Halloween?"

"Yes."

"It suits you," Raito teased.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Raito," L said.

"But how am I going to buy you a gift with this chain on?"

"I'm sure you can give me a birthday treat without buying anything."

"Sex?" Raito asked. "Well, of course, but we do that anyway – "

"Bondage sex." L said.

"..."


	10. Chapter 10

_There's not a lot left of this story now, I think I mentioned somewhere that I had the end – but not all the bits leading up to it. Most of it is now written, although some only as scrawl in a notepad XD _

This chapter reiterates some of the canon plot but I've done my best to keep it brief and interesting.

_Thanks to all the reviewers – I really appreciate the feedback and I do reply to all my reviews when it's possible, so extra thanks here to those who haven't logged in so I can't reply directly :)_

_SPOILERS: Up to episode 25 anime/58 manga._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Death Note or its characters, I just like to color in the blank spaces XD_

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

"Raito-kun needs to keep still," L muttered. "Otherwise my drawing will not only fail to approximate his exceptionally beautiful form, it will refuse to resemble anything remotely human."

"I _am_ keeping still!" Raito protested. "I can't stop breathing, you know!" he paused. "Exceptionally beautiful?"

"Hmm."

"That's what you think?"

"_Still,_ Raito-kun! Fishing for compliments is not immobility!"

"I'm only talking!"

"And it makes you move. You are a fidgety talker!"

"Pfft!"

"No exclamations either!"

"You're so bossy," Raito murmured quietly. "I hope this is worth it."

"It was Raito-kun's idea I seem to remember."

"Not all my ideas are good ones."

"Shhh. Raito-kun is beautiful like an angel and deserves to be immortalized in some way."

"Angel?"

"Tenshi Raito... perfect proportions and wonderful hair," L continued, having noticed that talking to Raito rather than letting him speak himself had the effect of keeping him from moving. "The most gorgeous legs in the whole universe, including the part up to the waist..."

"Now you're being random, Ryuuzaki! You're just doing this to stop me talking, aren't you?"

"Raito-kun sees through me like glass," L confessed. "Just one moment more, please?"

"Up to the waist indeed," Raito murmured, but he was smiling.

"I think it's done for now," L stared at his work. "I need to tidy it up a little."

"Let me see!" Raito rolled off the bed and came to stand behind the detective.

"It's good," he said. "I like it. There's no end to your talents, is there?"

"I hope not, Raito-kun," L said, pleased with his drawing's reception. "Otherwise I would suddenly become very bored."

"Mmm," Raito leaned over the detective, wrapping his arms around his lover's neck, nuzzling his hair. "I'd keep you interested."

"I'm sure you would, Raito," L said, leaning back against the boy. "But perhaps you should dress yourself now. We have to go to work."

"I suppose so," Raito moved away reluctantly, began pulling on his clothes. L watched him, pleased to see that Raito was wearing a t-shirt. He liked Raito's t-shirts. They were normally v-necks and L appreciated the promise inherent in that small area of skin revealed at the top of his lover's chest.

"I wish Raito could work naked," he mused.

"Yes, Ryuu, that would be a good idea," Raito laughed. "We'd never get any work done!"

"Raito could work," L suggested, "And I could fuck him while he works..."

"You think I could concentrate on anything, while you were doing that?" Raito went over to the door, slid his feet into his shoes.

"Can't you multitask, Raito?"

"Not with you, Ryuuzaki," Raito said. "With you I like to concentrate on who I'm doing."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"And that's how it is. Higuchi is Kira!"

L stared at his screen, mind working furiously as the blonde model babbled on, amazing the detectives who gaped at her. Although, he thought uncharitably, part of their enthralment was probably due to the kinky sight of Amane Misa in a nurse's uniform. He decided it was time for some tea, nothing like a little displacement activity when things took a turn for the unexpected.

He wasn't entirely pleased at Misa's achievement. It was helpful to know who Kira was, of course. But to have him stop killing, as Misa had asked him, just made it more difficult to work out exactly how he was doing it. Which didn't help L to understand how Raito might have been doing it when he was Kira. Raito! It always came back to him – L turned to look at the boy and his supposed girlfriend, a pang of what he had to admit was jealousy stabbing him. She loved Raito. To do this – to put herself in such a dangerous position for him. Unless perhaps she was just too stupid to realise how dangerous it was. But L hadn't got to where he was by underestimating people and he was of the opinion that a lot of Amane Misa's airheadedness was just an act to further her own ends. After all, it was the kind of thing he did himself when he had to deal with someone in person, appearing to be less than he was to put people at ease and give them a false sense of superiority.

And to tell Higuchi that she was the second Kira – which L believed to be true anyway. Did Misa now know she was the second Kira again, or had she just said that to convince Higuchi to reveal himself? Things were getting quite complicated, the detective reflected and reached for a biscuit. Then another one.

"If the killings stop, we won't be able to find how they're carried out," Raito said, echoing L's own thoughts.

"We need to wait and see if the killings stop," L said, playing with his food thoughtfully. "Let me think about it..." Which he was already doing. He called Weddy and arranged for Higuchi's cars to be fitted with surveillance devices, thinking it was a pity he hadn't done that before Misa's conversation with the suspect. It would be interesting to know exactly what she had said to Higuchi. It hadn't escaped his notice that what had been played to them from Misa's phone was the end of a conversation rather than the whole thing. So why hadn't she recorded everything that was said? The simple answer to that was, she herself had confessed to being the second Kira – which she had already admitted to doing. But she must have given Higuchi some proof and that, no doubt, was what she didn't want the investigators to know about. L estimated that there was presently around an eighty-six percent probability that Misa was aware of herself as the second Kira. Dangerous. It was perhaps time to remove her from his vicinity. Being killed by his genius antithesis Raito aka Kira was one thing. Being killed by a dizzy blonde who made her living by being photographed looking even dizzier and blonder would be downright embarrassing.

Talking of Raito – there was something that needed to be asked. L thought he already knew the answer. But – just for the sake of completion.

"Yagami-kun, I'm sorry to have to ask you this again – "

"Nani?" the boy said. "What?"

"Do you remember killing them?" L asked, schooling his face into something that wouldn't reveal the discomfort he felt at Raito's sudden expression of shock.

"Are you still asking me that?" Raito took a step toward L, staring down at him. "I'm not Kira! How many times – "

"Please answer the question," L said, hiding the pain he felt at even having to ask it. "Do you remember?"

Raito stared at the detective, betrayal in his eyes, and L wondered if he was about to become violent again. Then the boy sighed. "I don't," he said.

L turned to Misa, asking the same question, getting the same answer, with a side of attitude.

"I need you to think about this, Yagami-kun," L said, turning back to his lover. "It's important – it could help us to catch Kira."

Raito said nothing, but his eyes were saying a lot and L didn't like any of it, He went on regardless.

"Yagami Raito was Kira," he said. "But the power was passed onto someone else and Yagami Raito has lost his memories of being Kira. Can you accept this as a base theory to think about what I want to ask you?"

"I'll try," Raito said, his tone lifeless.

"If the power to behave as Kira was passed on to someone else, was this by Yagami Raito's will, by his plan, or did it happen at the instigation of some other power that was controlling Yagami Raito and is now controlling the new Kira?"

Raito closed his eyes. L, watching him, thought he'd never looked more beautiful. Or more defeated. "It would be by Yagami Raito's will," he said.

L agreed and the conversation turned to his plan to have Matsuda appear on Sakura TV to lure Higuchi into trying to kill him.

That settled, L was aware of Raito sitting back down at his computer. Silently. L sighed. Bent over his keyboard, apparently working, sending off don't-disturb-me signals. His thoughts ran over and over the knotted tangle that comprised the Kira case and his personal life, now seemingly inextricably tied together.

Raito agreed with him. If Yagami Raito was Kira – and he was, L had no doubt about it – then the culmination of his plan to resume being Kira was almost upon them. It had to hinge on Higuchi being discovered to be the third Kira. His capture at that point was almost inevitable, with both L and Raito himself working on it. Two genii versus a self-serving, reckless, not too intelligent executive with a poor self-image. It wasn't much of a contest. So what happened then? What was Raito's plan?

L knew that the best way to interrupt the process Raito had begun was to stop his lover ever becoming Kira again. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to do that. Given that Raito had somehow arranged things so that his memories of being Kira were irretrievably forgotten, there was no way of prising the information from him by the use of persuasion, drugs or any other methods that L really didn't want to use on the man he cared for.

So what to do? Wait and see. Which L found incredibly irksome. He didn't want to wait. He didn't want to watch Raito turn back into the evil, smirking, lying, arrogant murderer he used to be. L had never liked him when he was Kira and didn't expect to like him any better if he should become that again. At least the last time he hadn't been in love with the man. If the transition from Raito to Kira should actually take place, L couldn't see himself finding it anything but – painful.

Still, it had to be accepted if it happened. Better to do one's best to avoid it and if it couldn't be avoided then it was time for some serious damage control. If Raito should resume his killing rampage for any length of time, it would become apparent that the Kira problem hadn't ended with Higuchi. So whatever L did, he had to do it quickly.

It wasn't as if he didn't have any idea what to do. He had a plan. But his plan depended on Raito believing certain things that L wasn't sure he could be entirely convincing about. Maybe if Raito was Kira it would make it easier to lie to him. Thinking of him as Kira – yes, he could lie to Kira. Could lie to Raito if it came to it but he didn't want to. L smiled to himself rather bitterly. To think there was one person in the world he wanted to treat with respect and honesty – apart from Watari, of course – and that person happened to be in some ways the worst criminal he'd ever come up against.

He sighed again. Raito was worth saving. He believed that. He was a genius, L's equal and when L thought about his own life and what he had achieved, he felt a thrill of anticipation at the thought of what they might do together.

Which was nothing to do with his other reason for wanting to keep Raito alive. Which was simply that – Raito was his. He'd told Raito he loved him, not in so many words, but writing on sugar cubes – wasting sugar cubes – was enough, wasn't it? And even if it wasn't true, because L knew many things but what love was wasn't one of them – it didn't alter the fact that Raito was his. Not Kira's. Not Misa's. He was L's and he was going to belong to L for ever if the detective could do anything, anything at all to arrange that situation.

"Life's a funny thing," he muttered to himself in English.

"Pardon, Ryuuzaki?"

L looked across, saw Raito giving him a quizzical glance.

"Nothing, Raito. Just talking to myself."

"Sign of instability," Raito commented.

"Then that should be no surprise to anybody," L said with a smile.

They both looked toward the door as a sudden cry came from outside.

"What?" Raito said.

"Sounds like Matsuda," L said with a shrug. "Probably spilled coffee over himself again."

"Help!" the young detective's voice came through the door, sounding highly agitated.

"What's wrong?" Yagami Soichiro said, glancing up.

"Help!" Matsuda's voice repeated.

"Is the door stuck?" L suggested. "Raito could open it for him, but – " he lifted his wrist and shook the chain.

"I can't reach," Raito agreed.

Mogi made a disgruntled noise, put down the files he was working through and went over to the door.

"It seems stuck..." he said, pushing on it.

"No! No!" Matsuda yelled.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Raito wondered.

"He's Matsuda," L remarked, peeling a banana.

"I've got it!" Mogi exclaimed, giving a particularly hard shove and bursting the door open.

"I told you not to – " Matsuda exclaimed as the door thrust him backwards, skidding in the water that poured through the now open entry.

"Water!" L exclaimed, flinging his banana one way and the peel the other.

"Shit!" Raito yelled. "Quick, turn everything off! Save your work, Ryuuzaki!"

"Pick up the cables from the floor!" L added, grabbing for his phone and speed-dialling Watari.

"I told you not to open the door!" Matsuda wailed as he rushed around headless-chicken fashion, ignoring the fact that he'd done nothing of the sort.

"Papers!" Raito interrupted him, pointing out a toppling pile that Matsuda had dislodged from a nearby chair.

"Watari, we have a flood," L spoke into his phone, watching with interest as Matsuda gracefully dived for the falling paperstack. Caught them and took a step back.

"I have no idea," L answered Watari's question as to the origin of the deluge. Then slammed down his phone on the desk and leapt as Matsuda's foot connected with the discarded banana peel and the hapless young detective's legs went out from under him.

"Ow, fuck, Ryuu!" Raito exclaimed as his arm was roughly dragged along L's elegant parabola.

The wild-haired detective reached, grabbed and swept his arms round the pile of paperwork rising from Matsuda's falling grasp.

"That was close, Raito!" he exclaimed. "We might have had to do all this work again!"

"Nice save, Ryuuzaki," Raito agreed, looking down at Matsuda who lay on his back in a rapidly spreading pool of water. "You know I've never actually seen anyone slip on a banana peel before?"

"I thought it was just a comedy convention," L said, stepping over the fallen detective and placing the rescued papers carefully on his desk.

"What happened, Matsuda?" Soichiro asked, giving the two genii a hard glare.

"Toilets backed up," Matsuda explained as he took the chief's hand and got to his feet.

"Eeew!" Raito said, looking down at what he was standing in as if he expected to see raw sewage swirling around his feet.

L rolled his eyes and picked up his abandoned phone. "The toilets have backed up, Watari – no, I'm afraid a mop and bucket isn't going to be adequate. Yes, I know we have sponge mops, Watari – there's really rather a lot of water here. I think we're going to have to evacuate until this problem can be dealt with."

He put down the phone and sighed. "I knew those builders were too cheap. First the power and now this – you'd better all go home."

"What about my son, Ryuuzaki?" Soichiro demanded. "You can't expect him to stay in a building with no – facilities! The plumbers will have to turn off the water to be able to fix this!"

"That is a difficulty, Yagami-san," L said, chewing on his thumb. "We could go to a hotel – "

"I'm not having my son checking into a hotel with another man!" Soichiro said. "Especially not one he's chained to!"

"Then what do you suggest?" L said, punting the ball back into Soichiro's half of the field.

"He can come home with me, Ryuuzaki," Soichiro said firmly.

"Very well, Yagami-san," L said with a small smile. "We shall go and pack our necessities."

"We?" Soichiro said, looking rather alarmed.

"Yagami-kun is my suspect," L said, making for the door, Raito splashing through the waves after him. "As such, where he goes, I go. Think of it as a marriage of inconvenience, Yagami-san."


	11. Chapter 11

_Okay, the antepenultimate chapter! There are only two more to go after this and they aren't so amusing as the rest. For obvious reasons._

_I haven't updated Double or Nothing this week but I will soon, I forgot my plot and couldn't understand what was going on, I suddenly seemed to have a week of time to account for with nothing to put in it. But I've remembered now and it all makes sense again._

_This chapter is for Fouloldron who suggested – lol, the wobbly stuff XD XD XD_

_SPOILERS: Up to episode 25 anime/58 manga._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Death Note or its characters, but I'm listening to Bruce Springsteen on Youtube, that has to count for something, ne? Yeah, these remarks are getting more and more random..._

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

"And this is – " Yagami Souchiro looked across at L in puzzlement.

"Ryuga Hideki," L said. Best to use his college alias here. Maybe it would make the unfamiliar situation more comfortable. He wasn't exactly used to family life – still, Raito wasn't likely to get up to anything Kira-like, should he suddenly take the urge, not with his parents and sister around. Which was a good thing, since the handcuffs and chain had been abandoned for the visit as being too difficult to explain.

"What?" Sayu stared in disbelief. "What? Ryuga Hideki? You mean – did you have plastic surgery?"

"Sayu!" Sachiko exclaimed. "Very nice to meet you, Hideki-san."

"I am not the famous Ryuga Hideki," L explained to Sayu, with a smile that widened her eyes even further. "I am – another one."

"I didn't even know there was more than one," Sayu said weakly.

"I need to do some cooking," Raito said.

"What?" It was Sachiko's turn to make huge, wondering eyes. "You want to – cook, Raito?"

"Yes, why not?" Raito said. "I need to make some cake. For Ryuga. It's what he likes to eat."

"Cake?" Sachiko said. "Cook? Cake? Bake?"

"When did you learn to do that, Raito?" Sayu asked. "You never did any cooking before. Or cleaning, either. Apart from in your own room. Yeah, Ryuga-kun, if you're going to stay in his room, you should be careful. Don't move anything. He can spot if something's one millimeter out of place and then he'll get in a hissy fit and start shouting at you."

"I do not get in hissy fits!" Raito said, pausing half-way to the kitchen.

"Whatever you say, Raito," Sayu grinned. "Don't make me any, I've got a study date."

"Raito-kun does not need to cook dessert!" L said, following his friend. "I have brought ingredients and I will prepare the dessert for tonight."

"You, Ryuga?" Raito looked very like his mother at this point. "You want to – cook?"

"I am extremely skilled at dessert preparation, Raito-kun," L said. "In case there is nobody around to do it for me."

"I'll help you," Sayu offered. "I've got a while before I go."

The two went into the kitchen, L feeling quite relieved now that he wasn't chained to his lover. He didn't want Raito to see exactly what he was going to cook.

"Hissy fits?" L gave Sayu a sidelong glance as he unpacked the bag he'd brought from the HQ building.

"All the time," she said. "He sometimes gets in them when there's nobody else there to have one at!"

"Really?" L said, interested.

"Yeah, he talks to himself. And sometimes he laughs like a maniac."

"How – odd," L gave her an inquiring look.

"Sometimes he yells about weird stuff as well," Sayu confided. "For a while I thought he was taking drugs or something."

"What kind of weird stuff?" L said, fascinated now.

"Oh, just normal weird stuff, really," Sayu shrugged. "About being God and ridding the world of evil, that kind of stuff."

"You think that's normal, Sayu-san?"

"If you're schizophrenic, sure," she said, rolling her eyes a little as L laid out his ingredients on the kitchen table. "I mean, it's the kind of thing crazy homeless people mutter about isn't it? I suppose Raito's just crazy because he's a genius, so that makes it normal for him, right?"

"I, um, suppose so," L agreed.

"He has a lot of strange habits," Sayu went on. "I shouldn't really be saying this to you, should I? It's taken him all this time to find someone, it wouldn't be right if I put you off him."

"Find someone?"

"Yes. Find someone." she raised an eyebrow at L's uncomprehending look. "You're his, you know, his boyfriend, aren't you?"

"Why would Sayu-san think that?" Was it that obvious, L wondered, pouring gelatin into the kitchen scales.

"Duh," Sayu said. "He wanted to make cake for you. This is the person that won't even make himself a bowl of cereal in the morning."

"People change – " L began.

"Not that much!" Sayu said. "As far as I knew, Raito didn't even know where the kitchen _was_ in this house!"

"In that case, I am very flattered that Raito-kun wishes to make cake for me," L said.

"You should be," Sayu said. "So how long have you two been together? Aren't you the guy that got the perfect score along with Raito?"

"Yes," L said. "And I haven't yet agreed that we are – together."

"Pfft, you think I'm stupid?" Sayu said. "So, can I take photos of you two, you know, being intimate?"

"Certainly not!" L said.

"I know girls at school that'd pay good money for photos of two cute guys getting it on!" Sayu insisted.

"Then they can find two other cute guys to ogle," L said firmly, secretly rather taken with that particular description of himself.

"So will you pay me _not_ to take photos of you?" Sayu suggested.

"No, Sayu-san – " L turned in relief as Raito came into the room.

"Is she bothering you?"

"Not at all, Raito-kun," L said. "We are merely discussing you behind your back. Now you are facing us, I imagine it's best if we stop."

"Whatever she's saying, it's not true," Raito gave his sister a narrow-eyed glare.

"Me?" Sayu's look of injured innocence was worthy of Raito himself. "All I'm saying is, you're such a prissy little princess you've never cooked anything in your life, in case you get flour on your nice clothes or chocolate on your pretty face!"

"I have cooked too!" Raito exclaimed. "We both cooked, that time – with the cookies – "

"Decorating cookies with Hello Kitty faces doesn't count!" Sayu said. "And you were eight years old at the time!"

"Hello Kitty cookies?" L said, with interest.

"You like Hello Kitty?" Sayu said.

"I have Hello Kitty pyjamas," L confessed.

"He does," Raito confirmed.

"I prefer Hello Cthulhu," Sayu said.

"No surprises there," Raito muttered. "One hell-spawn to another..."

"Go away, Raito-kun," L said, wanting to proceed with his dessert creation. "Sit down and relax. You're disturbing my concentration."

"I suppose you need to concentrate on something you don't do very often," Raito said rather bitchily as he left.

"What's this?" Sayu started paging through L's cookery book. "It's English... Who's Nanny Ogg?"

"A fictional character, Sayu-san," L said. "But despite that limitation, she has created some very interesting recipes. Do you have an apron I can borrow? I don't want to ruin my clothes."

"Um – yes," Sayu said, looking L up and down with an expression that said if he ruined his clothes nobody would notice.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"What do your parents do, Ryuga?" Sachiko asked as they sat down to dinner.

"I don't have parents, Sachiko-san," L said, attempting to put the smallest amount possible of the first course onto his plate.

"He came out of a bottle," Sayu said, pausing in her collecting together of the books and papers she needed.

"Really, Sayu!" Sachiko exclaimed.

"I'm an orphan," L said.

"I'm so sorry!" Sachiko exclaimed. "But how are you managing to go to University?"

"My parents left me fairly wealthy," L said, chewing unenthusiastically on a tiny piece of fish. "Also I write articles for various scientific publications and that earns some extra money."

"He's another genius, like Raito," Sayu said. "So you might expect him to start doing something crazy at some point."

Sachiko just rolled her eyes and continued attempting to make small talk, eventually running out of things to say in the face of L's chat-challenged nature.

"How is your girlfriend, Raito?" she turned to her son.

"Girlfriend?" Raito looked up from his rice bowl as if he'd never heard of such a thing.

"Amane Misa," L supplied.

"Oh, Misa!" Raito said. "Yes, she's fine. Just the same."

"You should bring her round to see us again," Sachiko said.

"Well, no, I don't think so," Raito said, shuddering visibly. "It'd just encourage her."

"But don't you want to encourage her, Raito?" Sachiko looked puzzled. "I mean, she is your girlfriend."

"She's more like a stalker, okasan," Raito said. "I don't really want to go out with her but she won't leave me alone."

"She's probably a lesbian," Sayu said.

"Sayu!" Sachiko exclaimed. "Why would you say a thing like that?"

"She's famous, isn't she," Sayu explained her reasoning. "Famous people do that all the time. A gay man and a lesbian get together, pretend they're involved and then carry on their same-sex relationships in secret."

"I hope you're not suggesting, Sayu," Soichiro said, "that Raito is – is a – "

"A lesbian?" L said. "I don't think anyone could mistake Raito-kun for that. Unless, of course, he took up cross-dressing."

"You think he'd look good in something like Misa-Misa wears?" Sayu said as her parents and brother looked on dumbstruck.

"No, he's too conventional for that," L said. "He's more a twinset and pearls type of transvestite."

"I'm not any kind of transvestite!" Raito said.

"You used to wear my shoes, Raito," Sachiko said, smiling. "When you were little – you'd have laughed to see him, Ryuga, parading around in a pair of high heels far too big for him."

"I would laugh to see that now, Sachiko-san," L said, ignoring the black looks he was getting from his lover.

"I think I have a photo somewhere," Sachiko said.

"No!" Raito said.

"There's that one of him naked as well," Sayu said. "Where he took his clothes off in the street when you weren't looking."

"He started doing that at such an early age?" L said, faking a look of surprise. "I thought that was a recent development."

"Excuse me," Raito got up from the table, giving his family and boyfriend a haughty look, "I am going to do the dishes."

"If I'd known it was that easy to get him to wash dishes," Sachiko said as Raito swept out of the room, "I'd have embarrassed him years ago."

"Don't you want dessert, Raito-kun?" L called after his lover

"You know I never eat it, Ryuga," Raito's voice still sounded cross.

"But I made something I thought you'd like!" L put a hurt tone into his voice.

"Okay. If you insist," Raito called from the kitchen. He came back in and sat down.

"Well, I have to go," Sayu said, grabbing her coat. "See you later – don't you boys do anything I might not."

"What does she mean, might not?" Soichiro asked as Sayu dashed out of the door.

"I'm sure it was merely a rhetorical statement," L said, soothingly. "Have some chocolate delight, Yagami-san."

"Oh, thank you, Ryuga," Soichiro raised an eyebrow at the large portion of pudding L heaped on his plate. "I'm not sure – "

"Sauce?" L said, pouring it on before Soichiro could reply.

"Chocolate dessert and chocolate sauce?" Raito said. "Bit of overkill there, Ryuga?"

"On the contrary, Raito-kun," L said, helping his lover to a small slice of dessert, "I think you'll find it's just the right amount of kill."

Dessert was eaten in silence, everyone having apparently run out of things to say.

"Is it warm in here?" Soichiro asked presently.

"I do feel a little – overheated," Sachiko said, rather breathlessly.

L glanced sideways at his lover, found Raito's eyes on him. The boy didn't look angry any more, he was relieved to see. In fact, he looked as if he was undressing L with his eyes. Good.

"Time for the second dessert!" L exclaimed.

"There's a second dessert?" Sachiko asked. "You're certainly an excellent chef, Hideki-san!"

"I need to open a window!" Soichiro started to stand up, glanced down at himself then resumed his seat. "Or maybe not."

L hurried through to the kitchen and took the second dessert out of the fridge, hoping it had had time to set. He carefully removed the four cylinders of pink gelatin from their two-part moulds, relieved to see that only one of them was sagging a little, and proudly took them into the dining room.

"What?" Raito's eyes widened until they were as big as L's own.

"What are those?" Sachiko leaned forward to peer at the desserts.

"They look like – " Soichiro fell silent, unable or unwilling to say exactly what they looked like.

"Strawberry Wobblers," L informed them, sitting back down next to Raito and smiling as he felt the boy's hand wander onto his thigh.

Sachiko suddenly burst into high-pitched giggles. "Look, Soichiro, that one's like you!"

"Really, I don't think – " Soichiro leaned forward to look. "Is that what I look like?"

"What the hell?" Raito muttered under cover of his parents' sniggering. "Ryuu, what did you do? Why are my parents laughing at jelly penises?"

"What else would someone do with a jelly penis, Raito?" L asked. "Don't you think they're funny?"

"Yes, but my_ parents_ shouldn't!" Raito exclaimed.

"This poor little guy looks a bit sad!" Sachiko pointed out the jelly that was wilting a little. "We should put on the porn channel and sit him down in front of it!"

"He's just going to get eaten anyway," Soichiro said, with a suggestive look at his wife which caused Raito to put his hand over his eyes and groan.

"He might if he's lucky," Sachiko winked at her husband and picked up the dish with the sagging jelly, raising it to her mouth.

"I really, really need to do the dishes right now!" Raito leapt up and rushed into the kitchen.

L smiled and ate his Strawberry Wobbler, congratulating himself that his evening was going exactly as planned.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Your mother and father have gone now, Raito!" L called through to the kitchen. "You can come out."

"Where did they go?" Raito stood in the kitchen doorway, looking as though he wouldn't be surprised to be told his parents had spontaneously combusted.

"They went to bed, Raito," L said. "They seemed to think it was a good idea to have an early night."

"What the hell did you put in that dessert?" Raito demanded, coming into the room. "I looked through the recipe and there's nothing that bad in there!"

"In the stories about Nanny Ogg," L explained, "all her recipes contain aphrodisiacs. But for the purpose of the recipe book, they were, shall we say dumbed down a little, no doubt due to the publisher's aversion to being sued for sexual harrassment. I merely replaced the missing ingredients."

"You gave us all a – a love potion?" Raito said, face torn between anger and amusement.

"It seemed the best way of keeping them busy while we, um, got busy ourselves," L said.

"I'll have you know I've just spent the last half hour in the kitchen, uh, fondling myself!" Raito said. "And I'm still horny!"

"Then perhaps we should also have an early night?" L suggested.

"Good idea, you pervert!" Raito said, grabbing L's hand and dragging him up the stairs to his bedroom.

"I can't believe you drugged my parents," Raito said as he flung off his clothes, throwing them to the floor in a completely different way to their normal tidy disposition.

"They're happy," L said, taking off his shirt.

"I'm happy too!" Raito exclaimed. "And look, Mr Happy's happy as well! Uh – Ryuuzaki – "

"Yes?"

"My cognitive abilities seem to be deteriorating to some degree. Is that normal?"

"It always seems to happen to me in the presence of a high degree of sexual excitement," L said, pushing his jeans off quickly and dropping to his knees.

"Mhm, Ryuu – " Raito began, then lost his words in a gasp of pleasure as L's tongue ran up the length of his overheated shaft.

"Yes," Raito murmured, hips bucking forward, fingers reaching out to lace through strands of ebony hair. "You're a bad, perverse man, Ryuuzaki, look at the state you've got me into!"

"I'm prepared to alleviate it," L said, trailing kisses over the swollen, weeping head of Raito's member.

"You'd better," Raito pushed L's head down, and the detective took the hint, letting Raito's needy cock slide into the warm cavern of his mouth. He rested his hands on the boy's thighs, stroking the soft flesh, sliding his fingers underneath to grip his lover's legs, lifting them onto his shoulders. Raito slumped back onto his elbows on the bed, watching L, his eyes half lidded and glazed with desire.

L reached behind him for his jeans, found the lube he'd put in his pocket when they left Headquarters and smeared it over his fingers. His hand found Raito's entry, rubbing over the soft, puckered folds as his mouth worked on the boy's shaft, his lips squeezing around it, tongue flicking around the ridge of his glans. Raito moaned and lifted himself toward the older man, demanding pleasure.

L gasped, his own need becoming urgent, but he held himself back, sucking on Raito's cock lovingly, moaning around it, the vibrations of his voice making the boy whimper and buck his hips upward then give a low cry as the detective pushed a finger into him.

L looked up at his lover, admiring Raito's flushed face, the way his sweat-dampened hair stuck to his forehead. He added another finger, the boy twisting and writhing on the bed now, riding the detective's hand as he sought release, his cock swelling in L's mouth. L slid his lips right down the shaft, feeling the head deep in his throat as Raito groaned and thrust upward, his hot seed filling the detective's mouth as he climaxed, shuddering and gasping, clutching at L in ecstasy.

L let him finish, swallowing the first jets of cum, letting the rest pool in his mouth before spitting it into his hand. He quickly wiped it over his dick and leaned forward, pushing Raito's legs back toward his abdomen, entering the boy in one long, smooth movement.

"Hahh, Ryuu!" Raito moaned, face somewhere between pain and pleasure. "Yes!"

"I want you, Raito..." the detective muttered, leaning over the boy, driving into him, slowly and deeply, pulling out nearly all the way then back in until he was buried in his lover's body completely. "I want you to be mine."

"Ohhhh... yes, Ryuu... you have me – I'm yours," Raito muttered incoherently, tossing his head, cinnamon hair whipping from side to side.

L groaned in pleasure, his whole body tingling and hot, centred on his thick shaft that moved inside Raito's tight, slippery passage, causing the boy's own cock to stiffen again. L reached for it, his hand grasping around its length, fingers moving over it lovingly, teasingly.

"Hhnn, again, yes, touch me!" Raito begged shamelessly, his eyes fixed on the wild-haired detective's rhythmically moving body. "Fuck me, L!"

L leaned forward pumping himself hard into his lover's body, Raito arching his back off the bed and crying out as he was mercilessly plundered by the detective's huge hard cock.

"More, L... harder! Faster!" Raito's nails dug into L's shoulders as he moaned, and L felt himself reaching his limit, the sight of his gorgeous, sensually sweating lover, the sound of his urgent demands, all too much to bear. He grasped Raito's cock tightly, hand moving on it rapidly as he felt himself tipping over the edge, giving a yell of pleasure as he released deep into his lover's body, as Raito screamed with delight, his own cum shooting from his overstimulated member, spattering them both with showers of warm, thick fluid.

"Come... to bed..." Raito reached down for the limp form of the detective who was half kneeling on the floor, half lying across his beloved.

"Hmh," L struggled over the edge of the bed, flopped beneath the covers that Raito held up for him.

"Wicked Ryuu-chan," Raito muttered.

"Not wicked," L disagreed. "Just playful."

"Mm, Ryuuzaki, I love you." Raito murmured. "Even if you are a crazed poisoner."

"Hardly poison, Raito," L demurred.

"Giving my parents an aphrodisiac, it makes me wonder what else you slip into people's food when they're not aware of it."

"Nothing, Raito-kun, you know that would be illegal," L said innocently.

"What did you give me?" Raito's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"SP-17," L said, wondering if Nanny Ogg's chocolate pudding was perhaps the ultimate answer to the quest for a perfect truth serum. He certainly hadn't meant to answer that question honestly.

"The drug the KGB were supposed to have invented?" Raito asked.

"They merely tested it, Raito-kun," L said, rather smugly. "And if I may ask, how did you know I was lying when I told you I hadn't given anyone any drugs?"

"You called me Raito-kun," Raito said. "Not just Raito. You always back off when you're getting all detective-y. If you call me Yagami-kun, I know you're either pissed off at me or thinking of me as Kira."

"Should you tell me this?" L wondered. "Isn't it more to your advantage to know my behaviour patterns and not to reveal your knowledge?"

"I'll find another way to know what you're thinking, Ryuu," Raito said confidently. "Besides, we're lovers, we're not supposed to have secrets from each other. When did you give me that?"

"When you were confined in your cell," L said. "I put it in your food – the day your dinner was late. I had to wait until everyone else had gone so I could question you without any interruptions."

"I don't remember anything about it," Raito said, frowning slightly.

"You're not supposed to," L told him.

"So what did I tell you?"

"Nothing I didn't already know," L said.

"I didn't tell you I was Kira," Raito guessed.

"No, you insisted that you weren't," L agreed. "But the drug isn't completely reliable. None of them are," he finished with a sigh.

"Must be difficult for you, Ryuuzaki," Raito said, rather sarcastically.

"That whole confinement episode was difficult, Raito," L said. "Seeing you there, day after day, dressed in those slinky black clothes, handcuffed..." he let his voice trail away, visions of handcuffed Raito making him smile.

"Handcuffs," Raito echoed.

"I liked you in those," L said.

"I didn't like it, Ryuuzaki," Raito said, rather grumpily. "It was uncomfortable and embarrassing and – and frightening."

"Sexy, though," L said.

"Pervert."

"Raito is stating the obvious," L said, running his hand slowly down his lover's body.

"So, Ryuu, didn't you get tempted to do anything else while I was drugged and wouldn't remember it?"

"Tempted, yes, Raito," L said. "I thought about coming down to your cell and undressing you. Maybe touching you a little. But I thought it wouldn't be a good idea."

"Why not?" Raito twined his hand into ebony locks, gently stroking.

"For one thing, I had already been questioning you for some time and I was concerned that the drug might wear off while I was in the middle of pleasuring myself with you."

"Hell, Ryuu, you talk about me as if I was a sex object or something!" Raito protested.

"That was how I was thinking of you at the time," L said. "Also I wasn't quite sure what it was I wanted to do with you – "

"That doesn't surprise me," Raito said.

"Well, Raito knows I don't – didn't have much experience with that kind of thing," L said. "Apart from that, I didn't think it was a good idea to involve myself with you."

"Changed your mind about that?" Raito smiled at his lover.

"I was also concerned about Watari noticing me being there with you," L remarked, avoiding the question of what he thought or didn't think was a good idea about their relationship.

"You're avoiding the question, Ryuu," Raito said.

"I think you've just proved what a good idea it is, Raito," L conceded. "Nobody understands me the same way that you do."

"I should think not," Raito agreed. "So – handcuffs? Is that what you have planned for your birthday? Reliving the cell episode?"

"No, the birthday bondage will be something different," L said.

"Good," Raito said.

"I didn't think Raito would appreciate being reminded of such a painful time," L said.

"You knew it was painful?" Raito stared into the detective's eyes measuringly.

"I heard you crying," L said, flushing slightly. "I heard everything – it was obvious that you were suffering."

"But you didn't stop." Raito said. It wasn't a question.

"No," L said. "I hope Rai-chan will forgive me for that."

"I don't have a lot of choice, do I?" Raito said. lying back on the bed. "It's in the past now, L, there's nothing we can do about it. Just forget it."

"Raito?" L snuggled himself against the rather unyielding form of his lover.

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

"Hm."

"Really."

"Persistent bastard," Raito said, turning on his side and taking L in his arms. "Go to sleep now. With luck, the toilets'll be fixed tomorrow and we can get out of here early before I have to see my mother again."

"Raito loves me," L said, smugly. "He will forgive me anything."

"Don't bet your life on it," Raito muttered sleepily.

L pressed himself closer into Raito's embrace, kissing his lover's cheek before settling down to sleep, reflecting to himself that perhaps Raito's last piece of advice had come just a little too late.

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

_Thanks to Fouloldron for suggesting Nanny Ogg's Strawberry Wobbler XD It fitted perfectly in this chapter which I wanted to be fairly light-hearted as there is some angst to come in the last two. _

_And yes, I do think L would be obsessed with rude food – he's already obsessed with sweets, so if he discovers sex as well, what better than combining the two? XD_


	12. Chapter 12

_Excuse me if you're waiting for updates to my other fics – I'm totally involved with this at the moment and need to finish it. Only one more chapter to go!_

_Song is Candyman by Christina Aguilera – there's a nice (although slightly cut) version on youtube by daxterandboxer with pics of L.. I love this tacky camp song! XD_

_SPOILERS: Up to episode 25 anime/58 manga._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Death Note or its characters, or Christina Aguilera and I don't have a candyman of my own either but the position's accepting applications XD_

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

L slowly undressed, then wondered why he was doing it. He'd got into the habit, he supposed, sleeping with Raito all those nights. Naked and chained to him, wrapped in the boy's arms, loving him and being loved by him.

He was appalled at how much he missed Raito. Not just the sex, although he missed that a lot. The closeness, the feel of skin on skin, the whispered words, even the bickering and fights. He missed everything so much it was almost unbearable. Yet, even lonely and bereft, he couldn't wish Raito back in his bed. Not as he was now. That one moment in the helicopter when he'd touched the Death Note had changed everything and L, unable to foresee what would happen or how it would happen, was left with the task of undoing Raito's fall from grace.

He climbed into bed, alone, and huddled his pillows around him. They didn't give him the comfort they used to do. It was strange that, having become reacquainted with Raito as Kira, he saw the boy's virtues more clearly than ever. It was as if the killer's dark and morbid background served to show them up like stained glass against a night sky. True, Raito was bad-tempered and selfish and he lied when it suited him, which was most of the time, but he was also innocent and pure in many ways that L was not and had probably never been. Raito was charming and beautiful, overwhelmingly intelligent and idealistic to a degree that L couldn't hope to ever achieve. And now he was gone.

L shook his head. He hadn't failed yet. His plan to recover Raito was still in operation. Then they could be together again. Thinking of that, he smiled, picturing Raito here in his bed, where he belonged, close to the detective, warm and smiling and compliant. His arms around L, murmuring passionately, begging for intimacy, giving himself completely, his love and devotion for the other man shining in his eyes before they glazed over with lust and desire.

L's hand crept down his body, touching himself almost for comfort, as he dreamed his beloved beneath him, writhing on the smooth white sheets, his golden skin sheened with sweat, face flushed in arousal. His lips, swollen with kisses, moaning softly, demanding the detective's possession of him. Words and sounds that inflamed L beyond reason and drove him deep into the boy's willing body, taking him, pleasuring him until he screamed.

L made a sound not far from a scream himself as thoughts of Raito drove him over the edge and he let his climax take him, eyes closed, mind full of his lover, their union and the sexy things they would do for each other when they were finally together again.

He drifted off into sleep, still clinging to his dreams of Raito, not letting himself return to lonely reality. Dreams that changed as he fell deeper into unconsciousness, changed and darkened until he found himself once more alone, surrounded by a cold landscape where nothing lived or moved. Looking around, he recognised the city he'd seen falling to ruins in a prior dream. But now the wreckage was complete.

He wasn't surprised to see Raito – no, Kira – sitting on a broken wall, the last remnant of some fallen skyscraper.

"Are you ready to say I've won, Lawliet?" Kira spoke without raising his head, looking at something in his hands.

"Not really, Kira," L said, walking toward the young man. He felt strangely unafraid, perhaps because he was aware that Kira had come out of his dreams and was at present inhabiting his lover's body.

"Stubborn," Kira remarked.

"Aren't we both?" L said, coming up to the man and sitting beside him.

"You should give in to me," Kira said, closing his hands over the red shapeless mass he held. Blood ran over his fingers and dripped onto the white, shattered stones he sat upon.

"You know I won't do that, Kira," L said.

"You could be mine, Lawliet," Kira said. "I'd make you happy. Give you whatever you want."

"Raito," said L. "Justice. The two things you'd take from me. What could you give me worth those?"

"Justice is just a game to you," Kira sneered. "You care more about winning than about doing the right thing or even about staying within the law. I am more to do with justice than you are."

"No," L said. "Raito is concerned with justice, and yes, he's much more honorable than I am. But all you are interested in is death. Whether the victim deserves it or not. That's so far from justice, I don't know what to call it."

"You know I'll kill you if you don't accept me," Kira looked up, his crimson eyes meeting the detective's dark ones.

"I know you'll try," L said.

"He never cared for you, you know," Kira said, conversationally. "He used you while you were chained. Eighteen years old, nearly two months in a cell with his hands tied behind his back, no wonder if he was desperate enough to take whatever was on offer."

"You're a monster and a murderer and a liar," L said, wounded by the words but refusing to let it show. "Why should I believe anything you say?"

"Because it's true," Kira said. "You should believe me, Lawliet. I'm your lover."

"No," L picked up a piece of sharp stone from the ground, flung it away from himself. "Raito is my lover. Not Kira."

"We're the same."

"No."

"You really do think you love him," Kira's tone was amused.

"Yes."

"Would you die for him?" Kira leaned close, staring into L's eyes as if he really wanted to know.

"Willingly," L said, looking back just as intently at the killer.

"I don't believe you." Kira sat back, gazing up at the sky dismissively.

"I would," L said. "I'd kill you and accept the death penalty for doing so. Because I don't belong to you, Kira. I belong to Yagami Raito. And he would never want to be this travesty of himself that is you. So if I have to die to save him from that, then I will."

"There's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm," Kira said.

"Huh?" L wondered what that was supposed to mean.

"_He's a one stop shop,"_ Kira said or rather, sung, _"makes the panties drop – "_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

L sat up in bed, disoriented.

"_He's a sweet-talking, sugar coated candyman,"_ the voice continued singing, now sounding nothing like Kira or Raito at all.

"Phone!" L exclaimed, grabbing at the switch on the bedside light.

"_He's got those lips like sugar cane, good things come to boys who wait – "_ his phone informed him as he grabbed at it.

"_He's a one-stop shop with a real big – aaah – "_ he was finally told as he connected the call.

"Moshi moshi?" L said, hurriedly.

"Let me in." Raito's voice.

"Where are you?"

"Just outside your door, baka!"

"Did you change my ringtone, Raito?" L demanded.

"Just let me in, L," Raito said.

L sighed and got out of bed, dragging his clothes on and going over to the door. This was going to be difficult. He hadn't been expecting Raito to come back here at night and although admittedly curious about what the boy wanted, he would rather confine their interaction to working hours while Kira was in the picture.

"So did you change my ringtone?" he asked, putting off the moment when he had to ask why Kira – why Raito was here at all.

"I thought it suited you," Raito said, kicking off his shoes in the doorway.

"I do have a weakness for trashy kitsch," L admitted.

"Suitable for someone born on the trashy kitschy holiday that is Halloween," Raito smiled rather maliciously.

"It's a serious day, Raito-kun," L protested. "An ancient pagan festival. The eve of All Souls' Day and the day of the dead – "

"Never said you didn't have layers, L," Raito said. "But I didn't come here to talk to you about death."

"What did you come for, Raito-kun?" L asked, unable to stop his glance straying to the rumpled bed.

"I see you don't really need that question answered," Raito walked over to the bed, bent over it. "Cake crumbs, L? I thought I trained you out of that bad habit."

"L does not accept training," L said indignantly. "Besides, you weren't here."

"While the cat's away, hm?" Raito brushed the crumbs out of the bed, began plumping up the pillows. "What's this, Ryuuzaki?"

L put his head on one side, looking at what Raito had found underneath his pillow. "What does it look like, Raito-kun?"

"The chain?" Raito pulled it out, letting the links run through his hand. "How sentimental. Sleeping with our chain under your pillow. Wasn't it uncomfortable?"

"Not very," L said. "No more than when we were attached to it."

"You're such a baby, L," Raito said, quite rudely. "Didn't you think I'd come back for you?"

"I didn't know what Raito-kun was going to do once he was released from surveillance," L said, walking over to the bed and sitting on the edge. "Since he did not see fit to tell me."

"Sulking, L?" Raito sat next to the detective, a small smirk on his face.

"It would have been polite of Raito-kun to inform his lover of his activities," L said coldly.

"I thought you'd enjoy a surprise." Raito said.

"I hate surprises," L said.

"In that case, I'm here for sex, I apologise for not making an appointment, would you kindly undress." Raito said, with a challenging glare at the detective.

L stared back, knowing he was outwardly unfazed by this unusual display of bad manners from his normally polite lover. Inwardly, it was a different matter. Should he just go along with it? Given the nature of his plan, he really had to, didn't he? He couldn't take the risk of alienating Raito at this point, and he wouldn't be surprised if that was what the boy was angling for. He probably planned to be obnoxious, inveigle L into a row and then walk out. Nobody else knew Raito the way that L did. Nobody else would be so likely to notice how different he was, so it made sense for him to keep his contact with the detective to a minimum.

L felt like telling the boy he was wasting his time, it was already too late, he knew everything, but he kept quiet. Unless Raito seemed to be planning to do him actual bodily harm, he'd continue to keep quiet, play the good uke and do what he was told.

He stood, with a sigh and began sliding his shirt up his body, lifting it slowly over his head, aware of Raito's eyes on him, appraising and thoughtful.

"You're really very nice-looking," Raito said. "I don't know why you don't make more of yourself."

"Raito-kun is very critical of me tonight," L said, pulling his zipper down.

"No I'm not," Raito said, raising an eyebrow at L.

L merely smiled at him, seductively he hoped, and pushed his jeans down over his hips slowly like a stripper. Raito's gaze dropped to the detective's central region and he flushed slightly. L hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his boxers and slipped them off, revealing himself to the boy, seeing his lover shift slightly as if his pants had suddenly got a little too tight for him.

"On the bed," Raito said, a little hoarsely.

L lay down, not surprised when he felt the cuff of the chain snap around his right wrist where it had stayed for so many days. Raito held up the other one, bringing it closer to his left wrist. Then suddenly whipped it around the head of the bed.

L, expecting this, lifted off the pillows, only to feel a fist smash into his face, which he wasn't expecting. Before he'd got over his surprise, he was fastened securely to the bed by both wrists, half lying, half sitting.

"Raito – " he began.

"Shut up," Raito said, pulling the pillows down so they were under L's lower back, then leaning down to look under the bed. "You wanted bondage, didn't you?"

"This wasn't what I wanted!" L protested.

"Too bad," Raito said. "It's what I want, so shut up and do what you're told."

L fell silent, there being nothing he could say to this without precipitating the argument that Raito seemed to want and he decidedly didn't. He watched as Raito fished around under the bed, bringing out the bag of sex toys they'd bought on the strawberry hunt and never really used. Apart from the chain, they'd never really added anything to their lovemaking, being more than satisfied with each other's bodies as playthings The detective had the feeling he wasn't going to enjoy finding out exactly what all the devices did, but he resigned himself to letting Raito do what he wanted for now.

Some time later, how long he didn't know or want to think about, L had decided that sex toys was a very poor term for the items his captor had used on him. Instruments of torture might be a better description. Worn out with being clamped, pinched, spanked and penetrated with items of various sizes and shapes, he finally succumbed to the ministrations of a vibrator inserted into him with more force than he considered necessary and climaxed messily over himself, miserably aware that he'd never considered an orgasm could be such a joyless event.

"My turn now!" Raito said cheerfully, not noticing or caring that his lover was practically in tears. He slicked himself with lube, then grasped L's ankles, bending his legs back and entering him rapidly, causing the detective, already sore, to groan in pain.

"Lube," L muttered hoarsely.

"I put some on," Raito said, pulling back and pushing deeply into the tight passage again.

"Me," L explained.

"I put some on you as well," Raito said.

"It's worn off, Raito!" L wailed, twisting in pain on the mattress.

"Damn!" Raito stared down at the detective, a dangerous look in his eyes, then sighed and pulled out. He reached for the lube and coated his fingers, pushing them into L's body roughly, making his lover wince and bite his lip.

"Done," Raito said briskly, entering the detective again, no more carefully than the first time. L sniffed and resigned himself to the fact that it was going to be painful no matter what.

"You're mine, L," Raito gasped as he worked over the detective, his movements hard and merciless.

"Mhm," L muttered, trying not to scream or pull away.

"Say it!" Raito hissed between his teeth.

"Say – " L's words lost themselves in a moan of pain at a particularly vicious thrust.

"Say you're mine!" Raito insisted.

"I'm yours, Raito," L managed.

"Go on," Raito said, pushing deeply into the detective's slim body.

"What – "

"Tell me things! You know what I want to hear!"

"You're hurting me, Raito," L said, hating the whining tone in his voice. "I can't think!"

"Poor baby," Raito gave a smile that could only be described as evil. Then took up a slower, gentler rhythm, making some effort to hit L's prostate, which felt better to the detective but didn't help him think any more coherently.

"I'm your love slave, Raito," he said, hoping that was the kind of thing Kira wanted to hear.

"Yes!" Raito speeded up his thrusts a little, face flushing with pleasure, his eyes on L's face.

"Your plaything," L went on, feeling ridiculous but hoping his words would have the desired effect of getting this finished and Raito out of him as quickly as possible.

"Hhhn, yes," Raito groaned. "Slut."

"I don't think – " L began, offended, then thought better of it. "Yes, Raito, as you say. I'm a slut who will do whatever dirty things you want."

Raito growled and abandoned all pretence of being nice, forcing the detective's legs open and pounding into him hard and fast.

"Raito-sama," L improvised, "I want you to – to use me for your pleasure. Take me. Fuck me. I want to be your bitch, Raito-sama!"

"Yes!" Raito looked down at the pained detective in triumph before giving a cry of pleasure and driving himself deep into the tortured body of his lover, shooting his seed angrily into the warm tightness of him. After several hard thrusts he pulled out, letting the last spurts splatter messily over L's groin, then collapsed on top of the older man's sweat-slippery body, breathing heavily, arms splayed out to the sides unlike his usual impulse toward post-coital cuddling.

L automatically moved to hold the boy, then realised he couldn't. His wrists hurt from the pressure of the cuffs on them. His head and neck hurt from being slammed against the headboard. And his behind hurt more than anything. He was beginning to wonder if any of this was worth it, finding it hard to convince himself that Raito would never behave like this normally. He was still the same person – or perhaps not. Perhaps the added Kira factor and the fact that he seemed to have lost all inclination to civilized behaviour meant that he was in effect somebody else at this moment? L could only hope so, because the bestial man lying on top of him right now was certainly not someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Raito shifted, leaned up on his elbows, looking down at his lover.

"You know why I like it when you do me, L?" he said, apropos of nothing.

"Why, Raito?"

"It makes me feel safe," Raito said. "Isn't that ridiculous? It makes me feel as if you understand me. Does that even make sense?"

"I don't know, Raito," L said, shifting a little, uncomfortable in the unyielding handcuffs.

"Keep still." Raito said. "I know you don't understand me. Any more than I understand you. All this shit you show everybody, the big googly innocent eyes and the retarded-child behaviours and the stupid eating habits, I don't believe any of it. I've fucked you and I've fought with you and I've seen you in the shower and taking a crap and sleeping – I know that's not how you are. Under all the bullshit, you're somebody quite different. Aren't you."

"Raito is very observant," L said.

"You're a liar, L," Raito said. "We're very alike, you and I."

"I have a different system of checks and balances, Raito," L said. "But yes, our similarities outweigh our differences."

"And you'll do what I want," Raito said.

"I will always do what Raito really wants," L agreed.

"Good." Raito said, sliding off L and getting out of bed. "I'm going home now," he said, beginning to put on his discarded clothes. "I can't have my parents notice I'm not there in the morning."

"Will Raito unfasten me from the bed first?" L asked.

"Maybe," Raito turned an evil smirk on the bound detective.

"I hope Raito-kun realises this does not count as the bondage sex for my birthday," L said firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because I have plans for it that do not involve the chain," L said. "Since that is old news for us. Also I plan to be seme, which I undeniably was not tonight."

"You're never seme," Raito said.

"Physically," L qualified himself.

"I don't know..." Raito muttered.

"Raito is behaving very strangely tonight," L said, injecting a worried tone into his voice. "He is not his normal affectionate self – and surely he would not wish to deny me my birthday treat?"

Raito turned to give the detective a speculative glance. Then he smiled.

"Of course I don't want to do that, Ryuuzaki," he said softly. "I want you to enjoy your birthday. Here, let me untie you."

L, released from the bed, bit back a sigh of relief, having been afraid he'd have to stay like that until Watari came to free him in the morning. He smiled back lovingly at Raito, something which should never have been so difficult.

"Raito is my angel," he murmured.

"Yes," the angel of death agreed. "Kiss me goodbye now, L, I have to go get some sleep."

"Goodnight, my Raito," L said, twining his arms around the boy's neck and kissing him for the first time that night. Raito sighed and pressed his lips to the detective's, then pulled back to look at him.

"Go to sleep, Ryuuzaki," he whispered, leaning down to gently kiss L's eyes closed.

To the detective, the kisses felt like pennies on the eyes of the dead.


	13. Chapter 13

_This chapter is dedicated to Miss Doll, who brings out my submissive side with her sweet threats of horror-fic mayhem. Actually, MD, I'm terminally curious about the one you said you'd write if I didn't do a good job of this... not enough to do it wrong, but still..._

_This is the LAST chapter. It's been going a while but now it's over. Hope you all enjoy the satisfying conclusion :)_

_Thanks to badmoon for the suggestions about the birthday gifts XD_

_PLEASE NOTE – this chapter is M rated for a reason. It's pretty down and dirty, so you read on at your own risk. It's also quite long so you might want to make sure you have a few minutes spare. I thought about dividing it but there wasn't anywhere to do it that made sense and didn't ruin the pace. So eat it all at once! And put some damn cream on it, it tastes better that way!_

_Yeah, brain strain XD_

_ART ALERT: I made a picture of L as he appears in this chapter, which you can find in my DA gallery. I'll put a link to it in my profile here :)_

_SPOILERS: Up to episode 25 anime/58 manga._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Death Note or its characters. I own part of a new story which I'm in two minds whether to post before I finish the rest of the older ones... _

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

"Good morning, birthday boy."

L turned from the kitchen counter, where he was making some coffee to take back into the bedroom where he'd been working. He saw Raito standing in the doorway, holding a large box, with an amused expression on his face.

"Thank you, Raito-kun," he said. "I have to say, I'm never quite sure why the accident of birth is celebrated so assiduously by so many cultures."

"I bet yours isn't," Raito said. "I can't imagine you and Watari making a big fuss about it."

"No, we don't," L agreed. "Although I have a cake."

"Nothing out of the ordinary there, Ryuuzaki," Raito smiled.

"It has candles on," L said, a little defensively. "Not the full amount of course – "

"Or you wouldn't need frosting," Raito said. "Not with all the wax dripping on it."

"I'm not that old, Raito-kun!" L said. "I'm only twenty-five."

"And don't look a day older than I do," Raito said. "Or behave a day over – "

"Raito – " L said, warningly.

"I'm just teasing you, Ryuuzaki," Raito said. "I brought you a gift." he held out the box.

L took it and eagerly unfastened it, finding that the box was one Raito had scavenged somewhere to fit his gift, L not surprised, seeing the awkward shape of the thing as he drew it carefully from its packaging then laughed as he saw what it was.

"A chocolate cauldron, Raito?"

"The most frivolous and useless thing I could think of," Raito said with a smile, looking like his old self for once. "Happy birthday. And happy Halloween."

"Amazing," L said, setting the gold-foil wrapped, three-legged container down on the counter and admiring it. The cauldron was filled to the brim with various jelly sweets, spiders and skulls, gummy worms creeping over the edge of it. "Thank you, Raito-kun," the detective smiled. "It's not like me to say this, but it almost seems a shame to eat it." He turned to his lover, wrapping his arms round the other man's waist.

"My L," Raito muttered, pulling L against him, his face buried in the mass of dark hair.

"Raito-kun is kind to me," L said, peering up at his lover from under his bangs.

"Didn't you think I'd give you something on your birthday, Ryuuzaki?" Raito's tone was light but his eyes appraised the detective coldly.

"I didn't know," L said.

"Don't you think I care about you?" Raito demanded. "I thought I proved that to you the other night. I came to visit you, didn't I?"

"Yes, Raito," L said, dutifully, then realised something must have shown in his face, Raito's head going to one side, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"You didn't like it," the boy said.

"Raito-kun was very rough with me," L said, daringly, hoping he wasn't precipitating the argument Raito had seemed to want during their last intimate encounter. "He knows such behaviour reminds me of unhappy memories."

"You'll forgive me," Raito said, making it sound like an order.

"Of course I do," L said, smiling up at his lover. "But Raito-kun cannot expect me to like it when he does something so disturbing."

"Hm," Raito scowled. Then shrugged. "I'm sorry L. I'll make it up to you. Tonight. You can have your revenge, ne?"

"I don't want revenge, Raito," L sighed. "I just want you."

Raito gave a laugh that sounded like nails on a blackboard. "But you already have me, Ryuuzaki. I'm right here."

"I also have a gift for Raito-kun," L said. "Although it is something practical to help him with the case."

He wandered through to the bedroom, opening his closet. "It's in here," he muttered. "I noticed that Raito does not have a laptop of his own – "

Raito stared as L brought out the box and handed it to him.

"You bought me a Notebook?" the boy smiled, looking more like the old Raito than he had for some time.

"I thought Raito must be tired of sitting on those chairs in the main room all the time," L said as the boy divested its gift of its packaging. "I'm sure by now he must despise them as much as I do. Now he can save his files onto this and work somewhere comfortable."

"It's black," Raito said, staring at his new possession.

"It's a Compaq," L said. "I've always found them to be very reliable."

"You bought me a black Notebook," Raito looked up at L, his face shadowed with suspicion.

"I thought it would suit you," L said with a smile.

"Uh – " Raito's eyes widened, his expression almost fearful.

"Black is always stylish and goes with anything," L said.

"Hm," Raito seemed at a loss for words. "Uh – thank you, Ryuuzaki."

"You're welcome, Raito-kun," L said. "Now we should get to work."

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

The day went by much the same as usual, since L hadn't informed anyone else that it was his birthday and Raito didn't mention it either. L would have liked to think it was that the boy realised it would be a breach of the detective's security to let others know when his birthday was, but he admitted to himself rather sadly that it probably just wasn't that important to Raito at the moment. Well, that might change. He devoted himself to getting through the day, apparently working on deciphering the Death Note's mysteries, secretly putting the last touches to various preparations he'd had planned for some time.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the time finally came to send the team home for the day. A little earlier than usual but not enough to make them wonder. Raito went with them, giving L a conspiratorial look as he left, which L took to mean he was returning later. He hoped so. If Raito reneged on his promise, L was going to have to think of a whole new way to deal with their unpleasant situation. Which he didn't want to as for once in his life he was tired of thinking and had an uncomfortable sense of time running out. All he really wanted to – what did he want? Just Raito, back the way he was. To take him home, back to England and spend some time with him doing nothing in particular or at least, nothing that didn't involve the potential death of either or both of them. A honeymoon of sorts, perhaps.

He sighed and made his way to the rooms he planned to use for the evening's entertainment, if that was the right word for it. Although – why not? He wasn't dealing with Raito here, or at least only minimally. Kira was his intended partner for the night and Kira was fair game, wasn't he? So why not enjoy the proceedings... a devilish smile lit up the detective's face as he flung his clothes onto the floor of the suite's bathroom and stepped into the shower.

Some time later, L sank into a large chair positioned in an alcove of the main room and looked around him. The room was in traditional Japanese style, paper lanterns and low furniture. The alcove where L had seated himself was decorated with a large and ancient scroll that hung behind him, giving the illusion that he sat in front of a window showing a rustic scene. He reached down to a nearby table and picked up the nearest thing, a black spanking paddle, turning it in his hands nervously. So much tonight depended on – well, smoke and mirrors, really. Trickery and deception. Still, the easiest person to lie to is a liar and L knew that Raito excelled in that regard, Kira or not.

L twiddled his toes together and wondered what Raito would make of his bondage games. Actually, he knew what Raito would make of it. He'd blush, torn between embarrassment and enthusiasm, wanting it but not wanting to say he wanted – the boy had some issues about his masculinity and didn't like to appear too comfortable in the submissive role. The detective presumed he'd get over that with time. And practise. Lots and lots of practise if L had anything to say about it. After all, Raito liked sex whatever kind of sex it was, but on the occasions when L had wrapped the chain around him and controlled him, his lover had practically melted into a hot, whimpering puddle of desire.

L smiled at the thought, having no objection at all to fantasies of dominating Raito, binding him and making him beg and plead. He enjoyed being technically Raito's seme, it was physically satisfying and less emotionally troubling than the reverse. When all was said and done, it was what Raito wanted, whether he admitted it or not. And L had discovered, rather surprisingly after a lifetime of considering nobody but himself, that what Raito wanted was what he would do. No matter how difficult or dangerous it might be for either of them.

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

L looked over at the opening door, taking a deep breath, banishing stagefright. He heard Watari's voice, then Raito's, as the older man showed his lover into the room.

Raito stopped in the doorway, looking at L, then a smile dawned on his face, making him seem much more like L's eager lover than the unpleasant Kira face he'd worn for several days now.

"You look like someone's dirty dream, Ryuuzaki!" he exclaimed.

"Yours, I hope, Raito," L said, taking in the glow in the young man's eyes. Raito was pleased. Kira – probably wouldn't be, when he caught up with events.

"Mhm, yes!" Raito said, obviously admiring L's costume, which he'd especially bought for the night. Black leather vest and red pants the color of bloodstains. Black straps around his wrists.

"Let me show you to the bedroom, Raito," L suggested, stepping out of the antique Chinese chair, picking up some coils of rope from the table and crossing the room to open a door on the far side.

"You're in a hurry, Ryuuzaki?" Raito's voice changed slightly, an edge on it that L recognised. Kira was back and he wasn't thrilled about the prospective activities.

"Yes, Raito, I've been looking forward to this," L said. "Please sit down." He indicated the bed, an elaborate affair draped with diaphonous black net curtains.

"Pretty," Raito commented, seating himself rather gingerly on the edge of the mattress and eying the bedside table with some trepidation when he noticed the array of sex toys and lube that had been placed there.

"Let me undress you," L suggested, coming closer to his lover, slipping the jacket off his shoulders and placing it neatly on a hanger. He might get away with inflicting bondage on Kira-sama, humiliating the man who thought of himself as a god, but no god would help him if he got a crease in Raito's pristine clothing.

He removed the rest of Raito's clothes in silence; pants, socks and underwear neatly folded onto a chair, shirt hung over the back. How Raito liked them.

"Raito-kun needs to kneel on the bed," L said when his lover was naked. "I will start with his chest."

"Start?" Raito questioned. "Aren't you going to use the chain, Ryuuzaki? And what are those ropes for?"

"Tonight I thought I would introduce Raito-kun to an aspect of his own culture he probably has had no chance to study," L said, taking one of the loops of thin, red silk rope and uncoiling it. "Japanese bondage is performed with ropes, tied in intricate patterns. It is supposed to be very pleasurable for the wearer."

"Pleasurable?" Raito looked dubious.

"I am sure it will feel better than the clanking chain and chafing handcuffs," L reassured him.

"I suppose..." Raito said, kneeling on the bad and flinching slightly as L joined him, hands snaking around the boy's shoulders to begin the bindings that would press on the sensitive flesh around his nipples.

"I've made quite a study of Nawakesho and Kinbaku," L said, conversationally as he expertly bound his lover. "Using ropes for decorative purposes or sexual pleasure through pain – for you I have to apply the techniques for pechapai... the person with small breasts..."

"I don't have breasts!" Raito exclaimed.

"Everyone has breasts, Raito-kun," L remarked. "Of course in the case of a male juujun, they're minimal and the tying requires a different approach to exert pleasurable contact with the erogenous zones."

"Juujun? Submissive?" Raito said. "Is that what I am?"

"My obedient one," L murmured. "Now I add the tomei nawa – this goes under your armpits, to stop everything sliding upward and choking you."

"Good idea!" Raito said fervently.

"This tie is known as the ushiro takatekote," L explained. "Having bound the breast – I mean chest area, we add in the hands and arms." He pulled Raito's unresisting hands behind his back and proceeded to tie them together.

"The overall pattern I'm going to use is called ebizeme," L continued. "The position of the prawn or shrimp. Useful if you require access to the more intimate regions of the body."

"Urgh," Raito seemed to have lost his curiosity as he was fastened more tightly. At last, L decided he'd finished, giving his work a final critical examination, pulling a piece tighter here and there.

Raito lay on the bed, arms bent at the elbows, wrists bound together behind his back and connected to a network of ropes that ran over his shoulders and chest. His legs spread open then bent at the knee, almost as if he was sitting in a lotus position, shins pressed together and bound to each other. His thighs were circled by further bands of rope which were connected to one that ran around his waist, his legs being held up and open. Strands of silken rope ran down into his groin, parting around his genitals then coming together to pass between his buttocks, creating, L surmised, a pleasant chafing sensation much like a thong.

"I don't like this much," Raito said.

L sat back and regarded his trussed lover thoughtfully. Back to Kira again. Raito would have enjoyed this and been making much of his own helplessness, leading L on to act the dominant and play-victimise his all too willing lover.

"I think I have you where I want you," the detective murmured.

"Really," Raito sounded bored. "So what are you going to do with me, Ryuuzaki?"

"Listen to your confession," L said.

"Huh?" Raito's eyes widened comically. "What?"

"I'm going to listen to you confess to me that you're Kira, Raito-kun," L repeated. "I have turned the cameras and sound on in this room so that it may be recorded."

"Are you mad!" Raito exclaimed. "I'm not going to confess any such thing to you! You know I'm not Kira – the thirteen-day rule – "

"False," L said.

"What!" Raito repeated. "You can't possibly know that, Ryuuzaki! You'd have to test it – you'd have to – "

"I did," L said.

Raito stared in amazement. "But – Ryuuzaki, it hasn't been thirteen days since we got the notebook."

"Yes, I know, Raito-kun," L said. "That was why I tested the other potentially fake rule. The one that says the Death Note cannot be destroyed without killing everyone that has touched it."

Raito's face slowly drained of all color. "You – you – you destroyed the Death Note?"

"Burned it in the incinerator down in the basement, after I had finished making notes on it and photographing it," L said. "As you see, nobody is dead. Or even mildly out of sorts."

"This isn't fucking funny, L!" Raito said, mouth twisting as if he wanted to say more but couldn't think what it was or express what was in his mind. "You might have killed all of us!"

"I decided the chance of that was so small as to make it a risk worth taking, Raito-kun," L said. "After all, none of us have passed through this experience, investigating this case, without facing the possibility of our own deaths. When we were chained together, didn't you say to me that we would die together? If my supposition that the rules were false had been incorrect, it would merely have happened as you predicted."

"How can you be so cold?" Raito spluttered. "You sit there, talking about us dying and you don't care about it?"

"On the contrary, I care very much about it," L said. "I don't want either of us to die. Unlike yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raito shifted, obviously starting to feel cramped by the constricting binding around him.

"You want me dead, Kira," L said, tonelessly. "You want to watch me die. That is not an acceptable conclusion to this case from my point of view."

"You're raving," Raito said, angrily. "Anyway, you said you were prepared to die. It seemed you almost expected to."

"Yes, Raito-kun, I was and I did," L said, reaching out to put a hand on the boy's knee, watching him flinch away from the touch. "But that was before I realised that I had something to live for that was more important to me than my work or even than the Kira case."

"Don't get fucking sentimental with me now!" Raito sneered. "You tie me up and trick me and tell me I'm Kira and put everyone's life at risk – including my father, I might add – and then you say it's because you – what? Because you love me? Bullshit!"

"Then perhaps Raito would like to explain my reasoning to me?" L said, gently stroking his angry lover's thigh. "Since he seems to know what I am thinking so much better than I do."

"Sarcastic bitch!" Raito practically yelled. "You want me to be Kira! You told me that, right at the beginning, when I was first chained to you. You want me to be Kira so you can solve the case, so you can have me put to death, so you can win!"

"I'm sorry, but Raito is wrong," L said quietly. "I do not want Raito to die. However, if it becomes necessary – " he reached down and slid his hand under the mattress. "I am prepared to take personal responsibility for that outcome." He brought up his hand, his Glock pistol pointing unwaveringly at Raito's forehead.

"Gah!" Raito cried out. "No, L, what!"

"I plan to kill Raito-kun if he does not confess to being Kira and – and do whatever he did before, to stop being Kira," L said, quite calmly he thought, considering that calm was not at all the way he was feeling inside.

"You're mad!" Raito shouted. "Mad! I'm tied up with a madman about to kill me! You know I don't like guns pointing at me! Have you no consideration – after what happened with my father when you had him pretend to kill me – "

"Don't play the sympathy card with me, Raito, it doesn't work," L said.

"Fuck you," Raito said. "Shoot me if you want, I don't care. I'd love to see how you explain it to everyone else."

"I will if Raito-kun will not confess," L said, laying the gun down on the bedside table. He noticed Raito's eyes following it, the boy making an involuntary movement as if to fight against his restraints, but L had tied them well and they refused to give. "As for how to explain my actions to the rest of the team, I suggest Raito-kun thinks long and hard about how difficult that would really not be for me."

"You'd have to tell them something!" Raito said, pulling pointlessly at his restraints. "You can't just say, oh, I decided he was Kira after all so I shot him without benefit of a trial!"

"Raito-kun seems to forget who he is speaking to," L resumed his stroking of Raito's thigh, fingers straying to the sensitive inner area. "I am L. To put it crudely, I can do what the hell I like and nobody can tell me not to. Apart from which, I plan to kill you in our normal bedroom."

"What?" Raito's eyes were wild, his movements becoming almost frenzied. "What has which bedroom you use got to do with it?"

"Calm down, Raito, you can't remove these ropes," L petted the boy soothingly. "I hired a prostitute last night who is twice the size of you and tried them out on him."

"You had – a prostitute?" Raito's eyes bugged out unattractively.

"I didn't have sex with him!" L said sharply. "I merely tested the ropes to be sure nobody could escape from them."

"Eeeew!" Raito exclaimed. "These same ropes?"

"That is the least of your worries, Raito," L said, cursing his partner's intense obsession with personal hygiene.

"And what about the bedroom?" Raito demanded. "What difference does that make?"

"I have a tape from a couple of nights ago," L explained, "showing our activities in that bedroom. With a little careful editing, I will be able to show that Raito came into my room, having obviously resumed his insane Kira personality, chained me to my bed and raped me. After which, presumably, somehow I escaped and shot him, being in fear for my own life."

"Nobody would believe that!" Raito said, trying to shuffle away from L's caressing hand. "Nobody! They'd examine it. Find out it was fake!"

"Raito-kun is once again, overlooking the L-factor."

"What?" Raito's face adopted a look of horror as he seemed to come to a conclusion he didn't very much like. "No! Yes – damn! Fuck! They'd believe you, wouldn't they. Because you're L – they'd believe you. All of them. Even my father."

"I think they would, Raito-kun," L agreed.

"Because we're – friends!" Raito spat out bitterly. "Because you said you didn't want me to be Kira. Because you let me go and said I wasn't under suspicion any more. They'd believe you."

"Because we're friends," L said, rather sadly.

"Did you plan this all along?" Raito asked.

"Something like it," L said. "I didn't finalise the details until recently."

"So everything – " Raito's breath caught in his throat and he shook his head before going on. "Everything you said to me – everything we've done together – all lies, Ryuuzaki?"

"Not all," L said, treading carefully now, measuring his words. "I still want Raito-kun to come with me and work with me. His incredible intellect will be a great asset to me and his attractive person is extremely desirable to me also."

"You want me – as your lover?" Raito stared in disbelief. "Still?"

"Where would I find another?" L said. "I don't get out much, as Raito knows. Besides, he is more beautiful than other people and I like his sexy, submissive ways."

"I'm not submissive!" Raito ground out.

L let his gaze wander over the boy's bound figure. "My eyes tell me otherwise, Raito-kun."

Raito just growled, seemingly at a loss for words. L took the opportunity to pick up a vibrator from the bedside table.

"What's that for?" Raito found his voice.

"For you, of course," L said, opening a jar of lube. "Surely Raito-kun does not imagine I would put this up my own backside? I haven't yet recovered from Kira's ministrations in that area the other night."

"But – I thought you meant to shoot me?" Raito said.

"If you refuse to confess and rid yourself of this inconvenient Kira madness, yes," L said. "I don't intend to pursue that course yet though, since I have no interest in necrophilia."

"You – you what?" Raito stared in horror at the detective. "You still plan to have sex with me? Even though you think, for whatever insane reason, that I'm Kira? Even though you think you might kill me?"

"Why would I waste such an opportunity?" L raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Raito-kun knows I find him most attractive when he is bound and helpless and begging and pleading – "

"Yes, okay, I know what I do," Raito's face clouded with anger.

"Having Kira-sama bound and helpless and begging and pleading is just, pardon the expression, icing on the cake," L added, unable to resist the temptation to tease his nemesis. "The ultimate high, don't you think? Binding and subduing and humiliating a god – penetrating him forcibly – "

"Shut_ up!"_ Raito burst out, his eyes wrathful as he gazed at the detective, mouth half open as he seemed to struggle for breath. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes and said, sulkily, "I'm not _Kira."_

"Is that what's making you angry, Raito-kun?" L enquired sweetly. "Or is it that you are Kira and infuriated at the idea of being my plaything? L's plaything."

Raito looked up at L, lips folded tightly together.

"Raito is silent," L commented. "Let us see if we can persuade him to become a little more vocal."

He placed the vibrator carefully on the table, then slid down onto the floor, rummaging under the bed for the bags of sex toys that had been abandoned there until Raito's or rather, Kira's recent visit.

"These look as if they would persuade anyone to make some kind of sound or other," L said, reappearing with a pair of what looked like tiny woodworker's vices in his hand. "They certainly worked on me, remember that, Kira?"

"No!" Raito exclaimed. "I don't want those!"

"But you bought them, Raito?" L said gently. "Surely you must have had it in mind that we would use them someday? Or did you intend me to be the only recipient of their attention?"

"I don't know why I bought them," Raito said in some agitation. "It was the shop – that shop! I got carried away!"

"Be quiet, Kira!" L said, his voice no longer amused. "Or you may find yourself carried away from here in quite a different fashion."

Raito paled even further, watching in horrified fascination as L applied the clamps to his nipples. His breath drew in sharply at the first, but he couldn't repress a cry of pain when the second was pinched tightly around the pink bud.

"Too tight," L said, adjusting the clamps until Raito's protests had muted into low groans. L smiled an evil smile into his victim's face, watching Raito's eyes widen in shock.

"Pleasure," the detective murmured. "Pain. Where does one end and the other begin? We seem to have an unrivalled opportunity to discover that tonight, Raito."

"Bastard!" Raito moaned. "Evil bastard!"

"Yes, I do believe I am," L agreed, picking up the vibrator again.

"Lube!" Raito squeaked.

"I have already applied some, Raito-kun," L said, waving the slippery cylinder in the boy's face.

"For me, baka!" Raito said. "You haven't put any on me!"

"I don't intend to," L said, pulling the ropes to one side and thrusting the slick vibrator deep into Raito without further explanation, causing the boy to howl in pain. "Does Raito not imagine I would want revenge for his recent treatment of me? One for one, Raito... you hurt me and I will hurt you back again."

"I hate you!" Raito hissed.

"No, Kira hates me," L said, keeping an impassive face somehow, not letting Raito know how the words distressed him. "Raito does not."

The boy just moaned, then squealed as L turned the vibrator on, shifting it inside his lover's body until Raito started to shudder as it contacted his prostate. L grinned and bent to pick up a roll of thick silver tape he'd slipped beneath the edge of the bed earlier. He cut some strips and fastened the vibrator securely in place, then cut another and left it stuck to the side of the table.

"Kira seems a little overexcited there," L commented, earning himself a glare of hatred which contrasted oddly with the boy's sex-flushed face and half-open panting mouth. "Perhaps we should make sure this won't be over too soon for him."

He reached out to the table and took a black rubber ring, sliding it over the head of the boy's cock, despite Raito's objections and attempts to roll away from it. Pulling it down to the base, he regarded Raito's heated, angry face in interest.

"Kira does not like to prolong his sexual pleasure?" he asked.

"Kira – I mean Raito – does not want sexual pleasure with L!" Raito said. "Not now he has found out how he's been lied to and manipulated!"

"We've lied to each other all along, Kira-sama, have we not?" L said.

"Take that thing out of me!" Raito demanded.

"I don't think so," L said, slicking his fingers with lube and lifting the rope binding over the boy's perinium. He let his fingers skate lightly over the sensitive area, not pressing down. The extra stimulation, combined with the vibrator inside, might be too much even for the cock ring to hold back.

"Nhnn!" Raito cried. "Ryuuzaki – stop!"

L just laughed, and went on stroking, listening to the other man's moans and gasps, watching his member carefully for signs of impending orgasm, admiring his lover's beautiful, restrained body, skin slick with sweat, nipples reddening and swelling inside the harsh grip of the clamps. Perhaps he should take those off before too long.

"I'm hungry," the detective decided, ripping the tape unceremoniously from Raito's butt, causing the boy to give a shriek of dismay. L removed the vibrator, turned it off and discarded it, then took off the nipple clamps. Raito groaned piteously as the blood started to flow back into them, making them ache and burn.

L ignored the whimpers and headed for the other room where he'd left some emergency provisions. Brought them back in.

"Not cream," Raito caught sight of the can.

"Kira-sama knows I like cream," L said. "So shut up and take it."

Raito opened his mouth and eyes wide, looking more shocked than L had ever seen him. Then again, L had never spoken to him so rudely before.

The detective bent over the boy's constricted, helpless body, squirting the cream down the length of his erection. Regarded his handiwork critically, then added a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

"Now Kira-sama looks good enough to eat," he said, mockingly. "Not that he doesn't always."

"Bastard!" Raito muttered.

L laughed and leaned down, licking along the length of Raito's stiff cock, slowly and lovingly, tasting the heady combination of cream, chocolate and male sex. It was exotic and delicious and he decided he was definitely enjoying himself. Sugar and Raito, his two favorite tastes combined, they'd done this before but the fact that Raito was now bound and helpless made it even more exciting.

Raito moaned as L began to lap the stickiness off the head of his cock, the sweet flavor mixed with the tangier one of the boy's precum, the cream melting and running due to the heat of the flesh it surrounded. Some of the cream and chocolate had dripped onto Raito's abdomen, smeared through his pubic hair and L bent to lick at it, grasping the rope that ran either side of Raito's member and lifting it, letting the thick silken strands rub along the boy's length.

"N – no, Ryuuzaki!" Raito mewled, arching his back despite his restraints.

"Mhm, yes, Kira," L murmured through a mouthful of cream. Then returned his attention to his lover's cock, now once again streaming with precum. He gently pressed his lips to the weeping slit, kissing it like a tiny mouth, his tongue penetrating the small orifice, swirling inside it, rewarded by the deep groan of satisfaction from the boy's throat.

L muttered around the swollen glans, Raito's whimpers of pleasure intensifying at the vibrations this caused. The boy continued to moan, rocking his body from side to side for want of being able to make any other movement, as L's tongue licked down his length, up and down like he'd lick a lollipop. Up again, then sliding the slippery shaft into his mouth, deep into his throat, Raito giving a loud cry and tossing his head back, attempting to raise his hips toward the detective's mouth but unable to find any leverage.

"You like it," Raito whispered. "You like it that I can't do anything. That I have to wait for you to do it for me."

"Mhmnh," L agreed.

"Bastard," Raito said, once more.

"Fhmh."

"Hnnh!" Raito's back arched again as L's tongue flicked over the sensitive area at the base of his glans, teasing, tormenting him. "Hahhh, Ryuuzaki, yes! More!"

L smiled around his lover's cock, continuing to torture the sweet spot, hearing Raito's cries become louder, more unrestrained. He fought not to give into the almost unbearable temptation to reach his hand down and caress himself. He had to wait, although the pressure of his overaroused erection straining against the material of his pants was almost too much for him. How he wanted Raito to confess, then they could both achieve release, in more ways than one.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Raito litanized, his body shuddering, cock throbbing in L's mouth and the detective decided it was time. He pulled his head away from the boy, looking down at him as Raito's face descended from ecstasy into surprise and frustration.

"Let me come!" Raito muttered brokenly.

"Not until you confess, Kira," L said.

"I won't!"

"Yes, you will," L said firmly. "I can keep going at this all night. How much more can you stand?"

"Take the ropes off," Raito begged. "Please, Ryuuzaki, they're hurting me."

"Tell me what you did," L said. "Tell me all of it. Then I'll take them off."

"I don't – want to."

"Raito, can't you see what you're doing is pointless?" L leaned up, looking down at his lover. "You can never stop crime or criminals from existing. It's human nature – you're like that king that tried to stop the tide coming in. It's nonsensical. The only reason for doing it is self-aggrandizement and I know you're a better person than to do that. You're just damning yourself for no reason."

"What do you know about it?" Raito gave a choking laugh. "I'm damned anyway. If you use the Death Note – anyone that uses the Death Note. Can neither go to Heaven nor Hell. Damned."

"So where do you go?" L asked, genuinely curious.

"What?" Raito raised his head, looked up at the detective. "I don't – I mean, I took it to mean that you went nowhere. Became nothing."

"Could just mean you go somewhere else," L speculated. "Some other plane of existence. A kind of Limbo, perhaps."

"I suppose – " Raito's eyes lit up hopefully. "Perhaps – I mean, if it's not Hell, it can't be so bad, can it?"

"I don't know, Raito-kun," L said. "Maybe not. So are you going to tell me the rest now?"

"Swear to me that you won't arrest me," Raito said, gazing intently into the detective's eyes. "I can't believe anything you say, but say it anyway."

"I promise you, Raito," L said. "All I want is for us to put this behind us and get on with our life together. We can never do that while you are Kira. It's too much trouble and it doesn't work anyway. You would be much better occupied solving cases with me and ridding the world of criminals that way."

"But what – I mean, you want to solve this case," Raito said. "How will you explain it?"

"Don't worry about that," L said. "I'm good at explaining things. I can put together enough Kiras out of the available suspects and known ones that will explain all the killings."

"Not Misa!" Raito exclaimed. "You can't do anything to Misa. Rem loves Misa and will kill you if you threaten her, that's what was meant to happen when you tested the thirteen... day – " he fell silent under the detective's glare.

"That's how you meant to kill me, Kira?" L said coldly. "You didn't even plan to do it yourself? Instead you thought to manipulate some lovesick supernatural entity into making away with me?"

"Uh... yes," Raito said, shamefaced.

"That's disgusting," L said.

"I'm sorry," Raito looked up pleadingly at the detective. "I had to – I mean, I planned it ages ago, Ryuuzaki. Before we were – before all of this."

"Tell me the rest," L said, ignoring Raito's apology.

"Now? Tied up like this?" Raito's voice was plaintive.

"I'm not letting you go until you do." L said with finality.

"If you insist – I'm getting cramp, you know!"

"Then I suggest you get on with it."

"Okay, okay. It was last year. The end of last year. I was still at school. I was sitting in the classroom, bored to tears as usual, when I looked out of the window..."

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"So that's it?" L finally asked when Raito seemed to have run out of words.

"That's it," Raito sounded tired. Defeated.

"You just need to say you give up your Death Note and it's done?"

"Yes. Then it's over."

"You will call Misa tomorrow and tell her to give up her Death Note as well," L said. "Then she will be out of the picture. She can go back to her life as a model and forget about all this. And about you."

"You know I never wanted to be her boyfriend anyway," Raito said, sulkily.

"Yes, you merely used her," L said. "That poor woman. That was one of the things that convinced me you were Kira, you know. Your attitude when you forgot your memories was that you only let her be around you so that she wouldn't compromise the case in any way. But as soon as you were Kira again, you met up with her, despite the fact that she had been released and you no longer had to."

"Mistake," Raito admitted. "But I needed her. So – you want me to give up the Death Note now? Because if I don't get out of these ropes soon, I think I'm going to suffer an embolism or some parts never working again."

"In a moment," L took the spare strip of silver tape he'd cut earlier and leaned over the boy, rapidly sticking it over his mouth before Raito could protest. "Wasn't there something you wanted me to do for you, Kira-chan?"

"Wfkfk!" Raito mumbled through the tape, eyes glaring wildly.

"Surely Kira-chan does not think I would give up this opportunity to enjoy the fact that I have beaten him?" L smirked. "I cannot reveal to anyone else what I have discovered here, but at least I can have the pleasure of fucking Kira raw."

"Mfkkk!"

"The tape will stop Kira from saying he gives up his Death Note and becoming Raito again," L said, unfastening his pants. "So – shall we get to it? I do seem to have been waiting rather a long time for this, so I hope in my eagerness I don't hurt you _too_ much, Kira-chan."

"Nnnfffmh!"

"I see Kira-chan is looking forward to it," L said, moving into position between the boy's thighs and untying the portion of the rope that passed around his groin.

"Uuuu!"

"What, lube?" L guessed. "There should be some left in you from the vibrator session. I don't think we need any more than that."

Raito's eyes widened comically as he stared at the detective, then screwed shut, a muffled shriek coming from behind the tape gag as L leaned forward and drove himself hard into the boy. He winced. It was tight. Quite painful. But he comforted himself with the fact that if it was uncomfortable for him, it must be almost agonising for Kira.

He kept his eyes on Raito's as he pulled out again, noting the tears start to leak from the sides of them. Definitely excrutiating. Rammed himself back in, hearing a low whining sound from the boy.

"Kira is – very tight," L gasped, withdrawing nearly his whole length, then thrusting back. "He must be in considerable – pain. I wish he could truly appreciate... how much I am enjoying this."

Raito just moaned, a long sound of distress and despair, eyes half-open now, looking up at the detective.

L gave him an evil smile, startled at how much he actually was enjoying this. Well, why not. He never got to be the bad guy normally, it was a pleasant change. He set up a rhythm, pumping hard into Raito's tight passage, pulling out until only the head of his cock was inside then pushing back in forcibly. It felt better now, the unbearable friction lessened as the muscles stretched under the onslaught. It felt good. Almost too good. He shifted, changing the angle of his attack, saw Raito's eyes fly open, his back arch upward as L's cock slammed into his prostate. L grinned again, he wanted not only to rape Kira but to make him come, to humiliate him thoroughly.

"Mmmff!" Raito mumbled, writhing on the bed as L continued to fuck him hard, his glans stimulating his lover's pleasure centre with every stroke. The boy's eyes were half-closed now, pleasure having overtaken pain, only lust in them as they gazed up at L's sweat-streaked, flushed face.

"Yes, Raito," L muttered, feeling his climax approaching, the movement between them easy now, faultless, Raito pushing back against him as he entered, wanting more of him. L reached down, slid the ring off Raito's member, freeing him. "Come for me, my Raito, my angel... let me see you..."

"Uuuuhhh!" Raito's cry was muffled by the tape but the expression on his face told L all he needed to know and he let himself go, thrusting hard into his lover, letting his long overdue orgasm claim him, his juices exploding out of him as he watched Raito come, tossing his head from side to side, moaning as he spattered them with a seemingly endless stream of hot, white fluid.

L groaned, still coming, but aware that he had to – he reached out to the boy's face, ripped away the tape.

"Uhhn, Ryuu – " Raito mewled, hips still twitching, the last vestiges of thick, creamy liquid pumping slowly from his dick.

"Say it, Raito," L urged him. "Do it now."

"Wha – "

"The Death Note, Raito. Give it up."

"Oh. Yes, Ryuu. I give up my Death Note." Raito said and closed his eyes, sighing as he began to come down from his ecstatic high.

L looked down at him. It was over. Just like that – he let himself slip out of his lover and curled around the bound form possessively, holding the boy tight, aware that he'd nearly lost him for ever.

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"Ryuu-chan," Raito's voice was rather plaintive.

"Hm?"

"I've got cramp in several places. I'm really, really sore. And this is getting kind of embarrassing. Could you untie me please?"

"Of course, Raito," L pushed himself to his knees and began to untie the ropes. "I hope you enjoyed it?"

"Well – it's kind of a blur," Raito said. "But, yeah, I think so."

"Raito-kun knows I would never make him do anything he didn't really want to," L said, disentangling a leg.

Raito laughed. "If I didn't want to, you'd just talk me into it, you manipulative bitch."

"But I'm _your_ manipulative bitch," L said with a smile.

"Damn straight," said Raito, sitting up as his legs were freed. "You should give me a massage, I feel as if I've been curled up like that – is that the time?" He glanced over at the clock. "I didn't think we were doing that for so long!"

"You know how time flies when you're enjoying yourself, Raito."

"Mm, I suppose so," Raito looked doubtful, but shrugged dismissively. "Are we going to sleep now?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid," L said, sadly. "I have something to show Raito first."

He passed Raito his clothes, then led the curious boy through the building to the surveillance room. Rewound the tape that had been recorded that night and set it to play, adjusting the volume on the audio so that it was loud enough for Raito to hear every word.

Raito gave one gasp at the point where L brought out his pistol, then he was silent, watching the whole thing through without comment. L took the opportunity to retrieve some of his birthday gummy worms from his pants pocket and chew on them as he watched Raito's face grow paler and grimmer as he took in what he'd said. What he'd done.

"I can't believe I did all that," Raito said, flatly, turning to L as the tape ran out.

"You can see yourself here, admitting it," L said.

"But – " Raito began. Then sighed. "Yes."

"It's not the end of the world, Raito," L said, putting his arm round the boy. "You gave it up."

"You had to force me to," Raito said. "I didn't want to."

"Why would you?" L said. "You enjoyed it."

"Thanks, Ryuuzaki, that makes me feel a lot better," Raito said bitterly.

"Don't start being angry with me, Raito-kun," L said. "I'm not the one who was Kira. You brought this on yourself."

"You think I don't know that?" Raito pulled away, with a dark look at his lover. "Leaving aside the fact that I've killed hundreds – no, thousands of people, I have to wonder now what made me do it. What is it inside of me that was so happy to accept this, so ready to go along with it. Surely it's not something that affects everyone this way? It must be me – I must be an evil person somewhere inside."

"Yes," L said. "But who isn't, really? Take away the ways we're taught to behave, the social constructs we live by and what's left? Something very much like Kira, I would imagine."

"I don't agree with you, Ryuuzaki." Raito said angrily. "Some people are good! Not me, obviously, but – somebody must be."

"No doubt, Raito-kun," L said. "But the only way to find out would be to expose everyone to the kind of influence they would receive from the Death Note and see what they do with it."

"That sounds a little extreme," Raito said. "So, uh, you were prepared to kill me if I wouldn't go along with what you wanted?"

L opened his mouth to say yes.

"No," he said, blinking with surprise as he heard himself.

"What?" Raito's eyes widened. "You mean all that was just a bluff? You sounded very sincere about it!"

"I was," L floundered for words, in the unfamiliar situation of having to explain something he didn't understand himself. "I thought I would... but on second thoughts, I think I wouldn't have. Not if it came to it."

"You'd have had me arrested?"

"No," L said again.

"So what the hell would you have done?" Raito demanded.

"Um, learned to live with it, Raito-kun," L murmured. "Unless you decided to kill me, which was, of course, what you originally had in mind."

"I would never kill you!" Raito protested. "But – I meant to, didn't I? Ryuuzaki – " he shook his head rather hopelessly. "What the fuck was wrong with me?"

"You were possessed, I think," L said, comfortingly. "I know my Raito would never normally harbor such murderous thoughts."

"How do you know?" Raito said, staring down at the floor. "I wanted to kill you – I planned it. I planned it really, really well. What kind of a boyfriend _am_ I?"

"You killed a lot of other people as well," L said, trying to get the conversation back on track.

"Oh – yes," Raito said, dismissively. "Criminals. I shouldn't have done it that way. But, Ryuuzaki, I can't believe I was going to kill _you_. I must have been out of my mind!"

"You killed FBI agents as well," L made a last-ditch attempt for normality.

"Hmh, yes, I shouldn't have done that either," Raito admitted. "But that's not important – Ryuuzaki, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise. You should never have had to hear all of that. You must be mortified, knowing that I was plotting against you that way!"

"Yes, it was rather distressing," L agreed, giving up on any hope of making his sociopathic lover realise the extent of his wrongdoing. "But I understand that Raito is sorry for it now. And I forgive him."

"Honestly, L, you fucked me dry, no wonder I'm so sore!"

"Kira deserved it," L said. "I would never have treated Raito in such a way."

"I hope not," Raito said, reaching out to run his fingers through sweat-soaked ebony locks. "I love you, Ryuuzaki. You're my angel. You saved me."

"Thank you, Raito," L said, smiling. Now didn't that make it all worth while?

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"Are you coming to bed, Ryuu?"

They had returned to their own suite to sleep, Raito having decided to stay the night and explain to his family tomorrow the truth of his relationship with L.

"After all," he'd said, "if I'm moving to England with you, they'll have to know why."

L had smiled and agreed and told Raito to go get into bed as he looked exhausted.

"I'll be there in a moment," he now called through. "I'm just sorting out some travel plans with Watari."

"Don't know why you can't do that in the morning," Raito grumbled, then L heard the sound of him going into the bathroom. The shower turning on. He nodded, having relied on the fact that the hygiene-obsessed boy would have to get clean after such an intense session of sex and bondage. Especially using ropes that someone else had been tied up in first.

L listened to the shower run for a couple of minutes, time enough to be sure Raito was in it, then went to the safe that was hidden behind a reproduction of Breugel's Two Small Monkeys. He opened it and took out the notebook that he'd told Raito was already destroyed.

About to leave the room with it, he thought again, remembering what Raito had told him. Heaven or Hell. Or somewhere else... L sat down at his desk and picked up his phone.

"Watari, send me details of any prisoners about to be executed."

He turned to his laptop, opened up the files as Watari transferred them. Sato Atsushi, a likely candidate. Due to be put to death in the morning. Looking through the police reports and evidence, L was sure there was no doubt that the man was guilty of the rape and murder he was accused of.

"This will do," he murmured to himself. Studied the man's photo. Opened the Death Note. Wrote.

_**Sato Atsushi.**_

Then the world's greatest detective reached for a piece of cake and watched the clock counting down seconds.

Presently, he sighed. Got up and went out of the room, taking the book with him. Downstairs, then further down, to the basement. To the incinerator.

About to open it he wondered. Was it really a bad idea? Was it perhaps possible to –

No. That was the kind of thinking that had got them into this mess in the first place. Raito hadn't had the benefit of hindsight when he found the Death Note, but L did. He didn't want it anyway. He just wanted Raito. And to be L.

He opened the incinerator door and flung the notebook into the heat, closed it and went back up the stairs.

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

"Ryuuzaki!" Raito turned as the detective came through the door, his face pale, expression anxious.

"I'm back, Raito," L said. "And it's Lawliet."

"What?"

"My name. First name L, second name Lawliet."

"You're telling me your name?" Raito took a step toward the detective, a half smile on his face.

"If we're going to live together, I thought you should know it," L said.

"I thought maybe you changed your mind," Raito said. "That you decided you didn't want to be with me."

"No," L said. "Whatever you've done, Raito, whatever you are, it doesn't matter to me."

He went across to where Raito stood, took the boy's face in his hands and kissed him.

"Don't worry any more, Rai-chan," he murmured. "I love you. And wherever you go, I will always be with you."

THE END


End file.
